|
hausboy -> RE: Northern Exposure (7/3/2011 12:32:56 PM)
|
Glad you enjoyed yourself LadyPact--sounds like a great event.
And to hardcybermaster--
yes. it is a big deal. Titleholders sometimes get a bad rap (often from those who either ran and lost.....or are too scared to run....or bitter about something else....) but Leather titles and BDSM titles have been around a long time. They are selected not based upon looks or friends, but upon the service they have performed for the community, the outreach and educational work they have done and/or fundraising, and act as ambassadors.
Judging is almost always performed by the outgoing titleholder, as well as other current titleholders, past titleholders and other leather/BDSM community people who are well known/make contributions to the community as a whole.
It varies contest by contest in terms of "feeder contests"-- most of the time there is an extensive, behind closed doors interview which often makes or breaks the new titleholder. The public does not see this part. They then usually have a public "question" the person has to answer on the spot--often about various topics affecting the community. There is a "fashion" component--showcasing that particular fetish (rubber, leather/formal, fetish etc.) and many contests have a totally fun component in which the contestant (and his 'accomplices") act out a fantasy. This is mostly for audience entertainmnent, but it often provides a good window into the contestant's head.
Everything is "graded" from the time the contestant walks into the contestant room/hotel, until the votes/points are tallied. I am a past titleholder--I held a regional title that fed into a national title, and I have served as judge and a tallymaster on several occasions. We take into consideration the number of years of service, educational work (workshops given, lectures, demos), fundraising events, overall disposition and ability to effectively communicate verbally in front of a large audience, knowledge (there are often leather history questions) and their motivation for wanting to run. Some have a specific educational platform.
Titleholders spend a huge amount of their time during their title year traveling all over the country/globe to various leather and charity events--it is a huge investment of time and energy (and in some cases....many cases...their own money) to do so.
|
|
|
|
