Beauty queens in next month’s Miss California Pageant (where everyone’s favorite homophobe, Carrie Prejean, got her start!) won’t strut down the runway in bikinis, but will instead model individual outfits. Sashes will also be eliminated and two winners will be crowned, instead of the usual one. ““This year’s event will be bigger and reflect the progressive attitudes of the contestants as well as our forward-looking state,” said Keith Lewis, executive director of the Miss California Organization. “It will change the essence of Miss California USA from a bathing suit beauty contest to the style of a runway show during fashion week.” Well, that’s not quite the same as ditching the high-heels-and-bikinis parade because it objectifies women’s bodies and applauds an ideal woman’s shape that most of us can never achieve. But, hey, we’ll take what we can get! You can probably still count on false eyelashes, clouds of hairspray and fake boobies, though. [NY Daily News, L.A. Times]

Earlier this week, I extolled the virtues of donning a thong bikini on the beach. I received a great deal of support from readers, but one subject that came up in the comments surprised me: whether it’s appropriate for 3- to 5-year-old girls to wear bikinis. Those opposed think the bikinis are too sexy for little girls, but I don’t see a problem with all little girl bikinis. (Bikini refers to all two-piece bathing suits, not just string bikinis.)

Here’s how cereal brand Special K wants to motivate the French: “After my bikini challenge with Special K, the hardest thing is deciding.” Apparently, however, you only get four choices. [Mademoiselleaparis.com]

The rumored-to-be-engaged pair had fun splashing around the ocean in Mexico—is it strange that we always pegged Sam to be a tankini kind of girl? [Los Cabos, Mexico, 10/1/08]

When men watch sexy videos or handle lingerie, they seek immediate gratification. “After they touched a bra, men are more likely to be content with a smaller immediate monetary reward,” writes Bram Van den Bergh, one of the study’s authors. “Prior exposure to sexy stimuli may influence the choice between chocolate cake or fruit for dessert.” So, if men want to get rich or lose weight, maybe they need to cut themselves off the porn and nudie mags. Lingerie is a gateway drug, people. [EurekAlert!]