This is perhaps indisputable with news of a grossly obese Alabama pageant winner and a man — yes, a man — being crowned Miss Maryland.

These stories have received much play and, in fairness, the one out of Alabama has been widely misreported. While (350-lb?) Sara Milliken has been said to be "Miss Alabama," the truth is that she was crowned winner of a different contest known as "National American Miss Alabama."

National American Miss (NAM) "in Alabama has competitions of talent, spokesmodel, fun fitness model, runway modeling and top model, though they are optional (other optional categories exist in other states)," relates Snopes. "The required categories to win a NAM pageant are formal wear, personal introduction, interviews and community service."

That said, does any of the above explain this (images and video below).