Us? Vain?
It seems Florida's west coast is constantly the subject of magazine polls and lists. Late last year, Men's Health said that St. Petersburg was one of the saddest cities in the country, based on suicide and unemployment rates. (Just a note, we didn't see one depressed person along Central Avenue during St. Pete Pride this year!) Now the magazine has another list out about our area and claims that Tampa has the most vain residents in America! Men's Health looked at the things residents consume, like Botox, teeth whitener, dental surgeries, at-home hair dyes, shapewear, plastic surgery and tanning sessions. The trend isn't something new in Tampaâ┚¬â€Âor the state of Florida, the magazine says. â┚¬Å”Five hundred years before Botox, that Ponce de Leon guy scoured Florida for a fountain that could rinse off the wrinkles.â┚¬Â Neighboring cities can't say a whole lot in mocking Tampa. St. Petersburg placed 11th on the list and Orlando came in at 16th. All three are well ahead of what many would consider as the stereotypical vain city of Los Angeles, which ranked 60th! Of the 100 cities listed, the least vain city is Des Moines, Iowa.
DuPuis takes Miss Gay Florida title
A performer out of Key West took the title at the annual Miss Gay Florida America pageant held on July 1 at the freeFall Theatre on Central Avenue. Victoria DuPuis took the crown on Sunday after participating in male interview, evening gown and talent. In all, there were six contestants in this year's pageant. First alternant went to Orlando's Essence T. VanCartier. The pageant was noticeably less attended than the 2011 pageant, which was held in the Hickman Theater in Gulfport. However, the enthusiastic crowd cheered DuPuis to victory. She and VanCartier will both now move on to the Miss Gay America Pageant this October in Columbus, Ohio.
Proud walk through history
Now that St. Pete Pride 2012 is in the history books, it might be a good time to check out the full 10 years of Florida's largest LGBT Pride event. Not to toot our own horn here (okay, maybe a little) but Watermark Media teamed with the Metro Wellness and Community Center and in St. Petersburg and St. Pete Pride to produce a Pride retrospective within the building. The hallway holds a collection of photos arranged by year pulled from the early days of St. Pete Pride in 2003 to last year's 2011 celebration. Within days, expect the 2012 collection of photos to take their place within the hallway. But remember, we still have thousands (literally) of photos to comb through from last week's biggest Pride ever. Each frame offers a quick glimpse at each year's amazing festival and many of the photos are ones taken by Watermark staff that have never been published before! The St. Pete Pride Wall of History is near the community room of the Metro Center, just outside the St. Pete Pride offices.
