This September, the hokiest of American traditions will come to the hippest corner of the world.
The first annual Mr. and Miss Williamsburg contest, modeled after the Miss USA pageant, will take place September 5 at the neighborhood’s Supreme Trading (215 N. 8th Street).
As with Miss USA, contestants will be judged on appearance, dress, a talent show and “a few investigative questions to find out how ‘Williamsburg’ these people really are,” said Misha Calvert, the contest’s creator and organizer.
The story of how Calvert, a 25-year-old Williamsburg resident, thought of the contest is one of necessity being the mother of invention.
A few months ago, she was arrested for stealing two 40-ounce bottles of Colt .45 from a convenience store. As her punishment, she was sentenced to community service, but the judge left it up to her to pick an appropriate project.
To counter what she sees as a troubling sense of apathy in her hipster community, she came up with the contest.
“I pitched it as kind of a uniting force in the Williamsburg community. I’ve been talking to my friends about the level of apathy around here, so I figured, why not put together something about a subject a lot of us are most passionate about: ourselves,” she said.
“Plus, I really like hot guys,” she added.
Calvert thinks the contest will bring a refreshing dose of self-mockery to a neighborhood whose young residents have been accused of taking themselves a bit too seriously.
“It’s easy when you’re incredibly cool to get caught up with your life and your life. But if we, as a young, creative community, can learn to adore each other as much as we adore ourselves, our potential is unlimited,” she said, only half-jokingly.
She added (slightly more jokingly but not completely so): “My hope is that it will become a legitimate investigation of coolness. What is cool and why is it cool? Maybe we can finally get a legitimate definition of what a ‘hipster’ is.”
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Any Williamsburg resident over the age of 21 is eligible to enter the contest. To enter or for more information, email mrandmisswilliamsburg@gmail.com.
The contest will be held September 5 at Supreme Trading (213 N. 8th Street) at 10 p.m.
After the contest, “It’s gonna devolve into a raging party,” Calvert said.
Wolf and Lamb, a minimalist techno collaborative, will perform.
For more information, call 718-599-4224 or go to www.supremetradingny.com.
