# Vida Samadzai, Miss Afghanistan in a red bikini **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 10, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355 "2003-11-10T05:22:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/1 "2003-11-10T05:22:29Z")
[Thrilla in Manila](http://afghanland.com/entertainment/missafg2003.html) She won the “Beauty for a Cause Award” at the Miss Earth pageant. They awarded it to Vida Samadzai for “symbolizing the newfound confidence, courage and spirit of today’s women” and “representing the victory of women’s rights and various social, personal and religious struggles.” I say _shabash_ (“hooray” in Afghanistan lingo) for her. Miss Earth is meant to raise consciousness of environmental issues by drawing attention with women’s beauty. Vida Samadzai entered the contest to raise awareness of Afghan women’s rights. The fundamentalists in Afghanistan are livid that she is representing their country this way. But they can’t do anything about it. I wish her joy and every success in life. This is one way to cast off the Taliban shackles on women. But the real point of it is to advocate social and political change in favor of Afghan women. Vida said even though she was uncomfortable parading in a bikini, she did it for the cause of her people. By the way, I think she is a very beautiful woman. Another thread on this that got locked: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=222370&highlight=afghanistan](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=222370&highlight=afghanistan) ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/2 "2003-11-10T07:36:25Z")
She looks okay, but her face just looks - off some how. Still, not bad. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/3 "2003-11-10T10:36:09Z")
No, last I checked, her face was still on the front of her head where it belonged. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/4 "2003-11-10T11:21:00Z")
> [@](#): > > She won the “Beauty for a Cause Award” at the Miss Earth pageant. I hear that the winner (Miss Honduras, I believe) gets an all expense paid flight to Aldebaran 5 to compete in this year’s _Miss Universe_ pageant. Personally, I think she should have the Milky Way locked down, but, in all honesty, some of the contestants from the Andromeda Galaxy are absolute stunners. I’m talking about the kind of woman that could suck a quasar through an exotic matter wormhole at 6.9 parsecs, if ya-know-what-I’m-sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![DAVEW0071](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19b73/32.png) [@DAVEW0071](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DAVEW0071)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/5 "2003-11-10T12:51:45Z")
She’s extremely attractive. And I’m glad she did it to draw attention to the terrible way women are treated in Afghanistan. More power to her. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/6 "2003-11-10T13:44:01Z")
That wasn’t a bikini…it was too large. Do they ever do that swimsuit competition thing in thongs? ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/7 "2003-11-11T03:36:57Z")
I read in the Washington Post that some government flunky said that if she returned to Afghanistan, she’d be prosecuted. Imagine that, go to trial for what you’re wearing. ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/8 "2003-11-11T07:56:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > \*\*That wasn’t a bikini…it was too large. \*\* To me, that suit was a great relief. I had a mental image of Miss Afghanistan competing in a burqa. There’s a woman with a really sexy overbite. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/9 "2003-11-11T13:00:39Z")
I wonder what the TALIBAN penalty for bikini wearing would be? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/10 "2003-11-11T13:30:32Z")
She needs to eat something, _stat_! Ugh ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/11 "2003-11-11T13:42:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cabbage \* > \*\*Personally, I think she should have the Milky Way locked down, but, in all honesty, some of the contestants from the Andromeda Galaxy are absolute stunners. \*\* It will be especially tough since she won’t have the home planet advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Ryan\_Liam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryan_liam/32/3965_2.png) [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/12 "2003-11-11T13:52:21Z")
she is Dohkar Nozazin! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/13 "2003-11-11T21:16:06Z")
I was wondering too, if you replace the bikini bottom with short pants, if you can still call it a “bikini.” But isn’t that the new trend in swimwear these days? Alongside the opposite trend, which is the thong. Fashion these days means whatever trend comes along, the opposite has to happen too. Miniskirts and maxiskirts at the same time. Things are not simple any more like they were in the '50s, when everybody did the same thing at the same time. Now things have to go in opposite directions at once. That’s my hypothesis. But I admit I really do not understand fashion. _Listen to me Don’t listen to me Talk to me Don’t talk to me Dance with me Don’t dance with me ohhh…_ ---
**Author:** ![BellaDellaItalia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BellaDellaItalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellaDellaItalia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/14 "2003-11-11T21:32:47Z")
maxiskirts? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2003, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/15 "2003-11-11T23:24:59Z")
Yeah, back about 1970 that briefly became a fashion trend, it was called the “maxi.” Ankle length. There have been a lot of them around the past few years, did anybody notice? If you look at the link in the OP there is a picture of Vida wearing a traditional Afghan maxiskirt. A very pretty one too. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/16 "2003-11-12T01:52:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*She needs to eat something, _stat_! > > Ugh \*\* Agreed. My first reaction on seeing the swimsuit photo: “Sammich!” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/17 "2003-11-12T02:24:47Z")
From a Reuters news story— > [@](#): > > \*\*Ms Samadzai is also not just a very beautiful face; she helped to found a US-based Afghan women’s charity which raises awareness of women’s rights and education in the troubled country. \*\* Would be nice if the news would tell us the name of the charity and how to contact it, details like that. Now that Vida has raised awareness in a big way, people who take an interest in her cause might like to contribute. Where’s the information? ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vida-samadzai-miss-afghanistan-in-a-red-bikini/212355/18 "2003-11-12T04:24:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Zohra Daoud was crowned Miss Afghanistan in 1974 and technically still retains that title. She also retains her AARP card!