Olivia Culpo is the 2012 Miss Universe winner, and became the first American to do so since 1997 when she was crowned at Planet Hollywood last Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Olivia Culpo, a Boston University sophomore, calls herself a “cellist nerd” but she just may be the first “round the way girl” to win Miss Universe, let alone be Miss USA.
That this is so is no small issue: Culpo’s rise points the way toward an evolution in American Culture that’s far more inclusive of people from diverse backgrounds and cultures within the USA. While Culpo may appear to be a “white girl” what that implies is far afield from who she is.
But what’s a “Round The Way Girl” anyway?
The term came from a song by rapper LL Cool J called “Round The Way Girl” and The Urban Dictionary explains that “Round The Way Girl” as a term is defined as…
a girl that is comfortable enough with her own femininity that she rocks sneakers that can show up any man (with sexiness that rivals any other chick in stilettos). this girl knows how get down, is smart mouthed, confident, intelligent, and can probably drink you under the table. this girl always reps where she’s from and has an attitude sharper than yours. she runs with a crew of like-minded, independent females, has a few pairs of doorknockers, and really knows how to get hers in a man’s world, all while leavin men droolin!
like ll said
“I want a girl with extensions in her hair
Bamboo earrings
At least two pair
A fendi bag and a bad attitude
Thats all I need to get me in a good mood
She can walk with a switch and talk with street slang
I love it when a woman aint scared to do her thing…
I need an AROUND THE WAY GIRL…”
A discussion of the song and the term would be incomplete without hearing the rap:
LL Cool J – Around The Way Girl by jpdc11
Olivia Culpo Shows She’s Round The Way Girl On #SwayInTheMorning
What caused me to see the new Miss Universe and current Miss USA as a ’round the way’ girl from Cranston, RI (best shown in the photo above by H.Q. Roosevelt), was her appearance on the radio and YouTube video show #SwayInTheMorning. There, Sway Calloway, the host of the show and a legend in the Hip Hop Media Community, said that Ms. Culpo wasn’t “snotty or uptight” and said “I feel like I could party with you.” To which Culpo broke into a freestyle rap to rival any amateur rapper out there.
Then, after successfully ducking Sway’s question “Are you celebate?” Culpo said that she was single and the last boyfriend she had cheated on her with her best friend – in fact he cheated on her three times.
The 20-year-old Road Island beauty queen represents part of the new demographic in America that propelled President Obama to reelection. It’s a dynamic that’s completely lost on many in the GOP, and if they don’t address it, could lead to more and more election losses in the future, and a near-permanent Democratic majority electorate.
It’s also a dynamic that caught the attention of New York Times Columnist David Brooks, who I said has a fear that his daughter wants a black rapper, because he told Charlie Rose that she’s into rap (Maybe she can freestyle?).
The potent combination of digital media, integration, diversity, and natural demographic change has produced this new electorate that TIME Magazine recognized President Obama as the leader of when it named him TIME’s Person Of The Year.
Oh, and here’s Miss Culpo on Sway In The Morning:
Stay tuned.