Melissa Kings, the Miss Teen Delaware winner who had to resign due to allegations that she was in a sex tape has some company, but not in the way you think.
When I made my vlog commentary on the Melissa King Sex Tape issue, the point I was, and still am, making is that some were damning her for doing what those beauty pageants sell anyway: sex.
Everyone knows that the only reason guys watch those beauty contests is to imagine having sex with their favorite contestant. In other words, stop with the cover image of wholesomeness, and be honest: the entire beauty pageant system is over-sexualized.
In short, Miss Teen Delaware, a feeder pageant to Miss Universe, which is owned by The Trump Organization and NBC Universal, was being hypocritical in asking King to step down.
Now, here’s proof that I’m correct.
According to the blog Jezebel, a woman by the name of Ashleigh Blake told the blog’s author Katie J.M. Blake that a pageant recruiter named Domingo Rodriguez befriended her, but then met her at a Starbucks, and then while in his car, asked her for oral sex as a payment for a modeling gig he was about to get her into.
When questioned about the encounter by Blake, Rodriguez confirmed that he met her, and the job offer, but did not say he asked for oral sex. He said this “She told me she would do whatever it takes, and now she’s throwing my help in her face.” Rodriquez said that he told Ashleigh he knew of a magazine where “young ladies can get on the cover if they do some type of sexual favors with the people at the magazine.” Rodriguez told the blog he had offered the same option to other young women and that at least one had taken him up on his offer — and was “doing very well. This is character assassination and it’s a shame because I’ve helped a lot of people in the past.” he said. “When a young lady says she wants to find out opportunities, I’ll pass the word out.”
Rodriguez said that he was trying to help Ashleigh because she didn’t have any money. But what it sounds like he was doing, was taking advantage of the fact that she lacked the funds to enter the beauty contest system, rather than honestly telling her that she needed to get a job.
It’s called sexual harassment.
Blake took to YouTube to tell her story. Here’s the video:
In this, Ashleigh Blake’s not totally blameless either. From what I’m reading, she didn’t tell her Mom or Father, about what was going on. And if she found Rodriguez to be so sketchy, why did she meet him and then go to his car? It seems to me that, at some point, Ashleigh Blake kind of knew that was going to happen, but went along with the process just to see if it really was going to occur.
It brings up other questions.
For instance, did Ashleigh actually not take up Rodriguez’ advances because he’s Latino? What if Rodriguez were someone Ms. Blake was attracted to? Would that have made it OK? It’s those questions that don’t get asked in these situations, where everyone points their finger at someone else. Eventually, the finger-pointing comes full circle, and the one doing the pointing winds up seeing their own finger.
The bottom line here is, if you really want to be a star, start a YouTube channel. From what I have read in these blog reports, the business of beauty contest and modeling talent recruitment opens one up to a huge potential for misunderstandings, shady dealings, and inappropriate sexual encounters. Why bother?
If Ashleigh Blake think’s she’s got modeling talent, all she needs is a camcorder, a computer, a YouTube channel, a blog, some business cards, and clothes that she wears for her own video shoots. The rest is in viral video heaven.
Stay tuned.