Get ready to vote for Miss Digital

A new beauty contest for virtual divas, ‘‘Miss Digital World’’, kicking off in Italy next week will give pixel-perfect p...

A new beauty contest for virtual divas, ‘‘Miss Digital World’’, kicking off in Italy next week will give pixel-perfect pin-ups the chance to steal sultry Sophia Loren’s sex-symbol status.

‘‘Miss Digital World’’ is the first beauty contest reserved for the likes of videogame heroine Lara Croft, computer-cloned actresses from the Matrix films and new beauties tweaked to perfection with 3D graphics. ‘‘Miss Digital World is the search for a contemporary ideal of beauty, seen through virtual reality,’’ Franz Cerami, the creator of the competition, said.

Digital artists, advertising agencies and videogame programmers from around the world have been asked to send a computer design of their perfect woman to http://www.missdigitalworld.com, complete with date of birth and body measurements. Designers will programme their contestants to parade along a virtual catwalk, and there will be a virtual presenter and virtual guests who will help create the atmosphere of a beauty contest.

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The winner will be crowned at a flesh-and-blood conference in November 2004.

But beware those who think beauty need only be screen-deep.The virtual world has its ethical rules too. ‘‘They should not have taken part — not even as extras or cameos — in pornographic films, shows or plays nor have made statements…in any way out of tune with the moral spirit of the competition,’’ organisers said. (Reuters)