A beauty contestant can win parody contests by embracing what disqualifies her

Evidence

Since I am not your perfect 36-26-36, I used my stature—or lack thereof—to my advantage on the walk of shame. As I passed the celebrity judges’ table, I paused in front of Jaye P. Morgan, Dorothy Lamour, and Peter Lawford and made a point to emphasize my short and zaftig shape. I pushed up the flab from under my left upper arm with my right hand and then flexed my new bulging muscle made from excess fatty tissue. Like a body builder, I turned to camera and did several more weight lifter poses. — Dolores DeLuce, Blow Jobs, 23

Categorization

• STORYSTEM: The gesture of turning one’s disqualifying physical trait into a theatrical flex is the kind of precise, quotable performer instinct useful in fiction about auditions and self-presentation.
• XREF: connects to: A live act that visibly falls apart can be the winning act — Dolores DeLuce, Blow Jobs: A Guide to Making It in Show…, 22; Winning a parody beauty crown produced no career advancement