The Early Show’s Maggie Rodriguez grilled Paula Shugart, President of the Miss Universe organization, on the contestants provocative photo shoot.
Shugart defended the photos, stating that “if you see the photos, they’re very classy – they’re art.” She continued, “we started with swimsuits in the 60’s and we’ve always been cutting edge.”
In a slightly snotty tone, Rodriguez asked what sort of message the organization expects to send with these photos. “We’re saying that you can be the total package,” Shugart replied a little too triumphantly.
Rodriguez continued to press Shugart through her final question: “if this doesn’t bring up ratings, what will you do next year?”
Oh god, don’t answer that.