THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 22, 1994 TAG: 9407220126
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E14 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: TEENSPEAK
SOURCE: BY MARGARET TALEV, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
WATCHING is one thing. Doing is another.
At the 12th annual Best Body on the Beach contest held Sunday on the deck of the Carolinian Hotel in Nags Head, teens were asked if they would participate in such a contest and whether they thought there was value in such a competition.
Most didn't have a problem with a best body contest. Many said swimsuit competitions had value - giving people motivation to exercise and practice good nutrition.
But only half of those interviewed said they would consider participating.
``I wouldn't enter one. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself,'' said Todd Wright, 19, of Colington, N.C.
Byron Shaw, 18, of Kill Devil Hills, said he ``didn't feel any need for it.''
Todd and Byron used words such as ``beauty'' and ``good looks'' as prerequisites for entry, but they didn't think they were attractive enough to participate.
Rather than modesty or morality, the reason teens gave for not entering was concern about how their looks and physique matched up with others' their age.
But Robin Love, 16, of Dale City, Va., said she would compete in a heartbeat.
Justin Crawford, 13, of Indianapolis said he would do it just ``to show off.''
Jennifer Graves was less enthusiastic than her boyfriend who had dragged her to the contest. ``It really doesn't excite me,'' said the 21-year-old from Richmond. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by CNB