Fall is officially here, and anyone who's been part of our local industry for even a short time knows what’s around the corner. That magical time of year, where the industry’s top performers grace us with their immense talent, and show us how truly special and diverse our industry and its many art forms really are! (Full disclosure: small portions of the following text were published last year, but on the whole, it’s not the same, so please continue reading…)
We are incredibly excited to announceMiss Exotic Oregon 2026 this year, but before we get into all the details of this year’s pageant, I’d like to spend some time reminiscing about how we got here. In the not-so-distant past, we here at Exotic embraced the mayhem of bringing three major events to the industry each and every year. Perhaps few will remember the name of all three—two are easy, but one has been retired for over six years. Yes, it’s really been over six years since the lastInk ‘n’ Pink competition, which is really hard to believe.
It might surprise many of you to learn that Miss Exotic Oregon is not Exotic’s oldest competition—Ink ‘n’ Pink wears that medal (pun intended), and it's not even close. The very first Ink ‘n’ Pink competition happened in the fall of 2000, and there was actually live tattooing taking place during the competition. It was quite the spectacle indeed, and even though Exotic itself had barely turned seven at the time, we still threw a party that even Hefner would have approved of (and even if he wouldn't, we know Ron Jeremy would)!
Fast forward a decade, and Exotic would announce its next recurring, mainstream event. Any guesses? It’s gotta be Miss Exotic Oregon, right? Well, you’d be wrong. Polerotica was announced in January 2010, and the competition has been held annually ever since (except, of course, 2020 and 2021, which the pandemic so cruelly robbed us of…). And that brings us to what’s “technically” Exotic’s youngest competition—Miss Exotic Oregon. Wait…WTF? Don't all the Miss Exotic promotional ads say, "The industry's largest and longest-running pageant?" They do, and please let me explain, before everyone riots in the streets, screaming for our cancellation.
The format and structure of the Miss Exotic Oregon pageant you know today was actually first created and operated in 2009 under a different, but very similar name—industry oldheads would easily recall. That said, the details of its demise were quite juicy, but we will—as they say—let sleeping dogs lie and not poke any bears. Anyway…the point is, while it may boil down to semantics, Miss Exotic Oregon’s format and structure make it technically the industry’s longest-running pageant, albeit the lawyers forced us to rework the name. Why is all this important? Read on, my truly beloveds.
Miss Exotic Oregon was created for one purpose: to showcase the wide-ranging talent, skills, and creativity of exotic entertainers in the Pacific Northwest—especially to those that are not consistently visiting industry establishments, and may have skewed views of what our industry represents. The comments, remarks, and reactions I’ve heard and seen from the average, non-industry patron at the Finals ofMiss Exotic Oregon have been overwhelmingly positive. Utter amazement, shock, and awe, to name just a few. You see, the average person who doesn't spend much (or any) time at strip clubs has an entirely different perception of what this amazing art form truly encompasses. When they see the sheer magnitude of physical talent, beautifully interwoven with the immense level of creativity, it completely blows their mind.
After the pageant was reborn through the scenario described above, it was created with the utmost integrity in mind to provide all contestants with a completely level playing field and an entirely equitable chance to win or place. Such integrity cannot exist when a competition or pageant is owned and operated by a gentlemen’s club, and history has proven that. It takes a third-party operator with no vested interest in the final outcome for the pageant to truly have validity and illustricity.
Have we made some mistakes over the years? Yes, we have. And with every mistake that was made, we've personally taken the challenge to improve the pageant and ensure that it was never repeated. As with all things in life, there's a learning curve, and it's not a perfect process, but it's how you respond to the challenges that is key. (We’re always open to constructive criticism and feedback regarding Miss Exotic Oregon andPolerotica. Send an email with your thoughts toevents@xmag.com.)
As promised, let’s discuss some of the specifics of the contest. Only the elite of the top entertainers who join move on to the Finals of Miss Exotic. How do they qualify, you may ask? Well, let's break it down…it's dependent on their ranking in the following categories: Theme, Stage Presence & Interaction, Body/Figure, Grace, Agility & Skill, Outfit/Costume, Originality, Beauty, and Class/Style.
The final component to their overall ranking and chance to compete in the Finals is customer votes. They need your support through your attendance, voting, and, of course, tipping! We hope that everyone will come and celebrate the wide range of diversity and talent that makes our industry thrive, as it’s showcased throughout this October and November. Let’s also take a moment to appreciate all Miss Exotic Oregon pageant winners to date! That's right, we have all thirteen of them, along with their official Exotic covers, to the right.
Please see the flyer below for all the dates and locations of this year’s pageant, and let’s make sure it's a truly memorable one! See you at Kit Kat Club on Friday, October 3, to kick it all off!
(click to enlarge)
