'I Think This Competition is Long Overdue'

Now this is one competition I wouldn't mind being a judge at.

It was a night for unnatural beauties.

Contestants showed off breast implants, nose jobs and face lifts as Miss Plastic Hungary 2009 strove to promote the benefits of plastic surgery in a country where artificial enhancements are viewed mostly with a wary eye.

"I think this competition is long overdue," said photographer Marton Szipal, one of the pageant judges. "Hungarians used to laugh about plastic surgery but it's time for Hungarian women to care more about their appearance. They are the most beautiful in Europe."

Plastic surgeon Dr. Tamas Rozsos said the pageant also meant to show that cosmetic corrections did not necessarily have to be about oversized breasts, bulbous lips and skin stretched to near tearing point.

"This about restoring harmony ... eliminating asymmetries and giving women the opportunity to have normal features," Rozsos said. "Plastic surgery has a bad reputation in Hungary but its mostly due to the exaggerations."

Naturally this pageant drew an interesting mix.

Miss Plastic candidates were at least 18 years old and included a former rhythmic gymnast, a firefighter married to a police officer, a mother of three and several strippers. There was a special category for women over 30.

Pageant queen Reka Urban, a 22-year-old hostess, won an apartment in Budapest, first runner-up Edina Kulcsar was given a new car and second runner-up Alexandra Horvath took home diamond jewelry worth 2 million forints ($10,800). The winners' plastic surgeons also received awards.

Meanwhile, one contestant had a rather unfortunate accident.

Blonde Alexandra Horvath, 23, tore a ligament when she fell after passing the breast examination stage of the contest with flying colours.

The silicone boob implants caused Alexandra to lose her balance as she tried to walk in her high heels - tearing a ligament and ending up in hospital.
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Alexandra had just got through the breast examination stage - where the judges had congratulated her surgeon, Dr Tamas Rozsos, on the lack of any surgical scars.

She toppled over on the catwalk and tore a ligament in her foot. Onlooker Laszlo Feher said: 'Everyone was admiring her bodywork and then she started to topple - no-one was near enough to reach her and she fall badly. She was taken to hospital by ambulance.'

A friend said: 'She had not got used to the extra weight on top and her new hair extensions got in her eyes - she just lost her balance and tore a ligament in her foot badly.'