Honeys all keen to taste sweet success

2008-7-17  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

YES, ladies and gentlemen, it's "Beach Honey" season again, and if you happened to catch a glimpse of the most recent LED adverts along the Bund or Huaihai Road, you might be inclined to think the bikini-clad girls are reviving the camp classic sci-fi thriller "Attack of the 40-Foot Woman."

The Beach Honeys are actually the stars of Shanghai's homegrown hip-hop beauty contest and on Saturday they square off against one another in a semi-final elimination at Dino Beach, where the current field of 36 contestants will be whittled down to 20.

This year the Beach Honeys are competing for a 200,000-yuan (US$29,220) grand prize plus a new car and a substantial modeling contract.

It is nothing to sneeze at and explains why the field of contestants has grown exponentially over the past two years.

Two of the local semi-finalists are from overseas - 19-year-old Soklieng from France, and Sara, 18, from Japan. Both stand barely 1.52 meters but pack considerable punch, each having already eliminated dozens of other contestants following a series of weekly, monthly, and quarter-final events which kicked off last November.

Part dance competition and part beauty pageant, the contest has a strong emphasis on hip-hop style and street culture which helps explain some of the event's runaway success.

There are no pre-requisite supermodel height, weight, or even (upper) age restrictions, which gives the contest a very girl-next-door feel. Many of the contestants become involved simply through the encouragement and support of close friends or even strangers.

"One Thursday I met some guys in a restaurant and they said to me 'go to Bonbon.' I didn't know the place but I thought why not? We all went there and danced," says Soklieng.