By Minda Reves
Sun Tan City, a local tanning salon, selected one of U of L’s own for its 2005 model search in September. Ashley Stratton, a former Miss Spencer County and U of L junior, was named Ms. Sun Tan City.
But Stratton’s not really an aspiring model. She went to the competition with a friend, she said.
“I just did it for fun – it was free to enter and [had] a lot of good prizes.”
She’s also not one of those “tanorexics” – people addicted to tanning – who’s “going to be all wrinkly when they’re old,” she said.
Stratton said she’s very picky about her skin, so she doesn’t think she’ll end up with a tanning bed addiction, even though she is Ms. Sun Tan City.
“You didn’t have to be tan to win,” she said, and Sun Tan City chose her because she looked “natural.”
“They said I was wholesome-looking or something,” she said. “I didn’t have fake boobs.”
The competition actually helped Stratton’s self-image.
She said her mantra was “Who cares?” when it came to being on stage in a bikini, but she was still modest.
“I didn’t get a real skimpy [bikini],” she said. “I didn’t want to show too much. I’m not super-skinny; I’m a gymnast.”
Before the competition, she thought her muscular gymnast legs weren’t very attractive, but now she said she’s more comfortable with them.
“I used to think gymnast legs were ugly, now I don’t worry about that as much.”
Besides, she added, there weren’t a ton of guys at the competition ogling the contestants.
Stratton said most of the men there seemed to be supporting a girlfriend or acted older and more reserved.
She said the women in the competition weren’t too bad, either.
“For the most part they were all nice. Afterwards, they weren’t so nice!” But, she said, some of the women had “too much everything,” from heavy make up to breast implants.
However, none of those things helped the other women in the end. Stratton beat out two Miss Hawaiian Tropics and a Coors Light model for her title.
Stratton’s mother said the whole family was very proud and wasn’t surprised she won, since she has won similar contests in the past, like the Miss Spencer County title.
“She’s really outgoing and we’re as proud as can be,” she said. And she said she hopes her daughter takes her on the cruise that was one of the title’s prizes.
Stratton is also a part of the university’s fledgling gymnastics club. She is a level 10 gymnast at Flip City – one level away from Olympic quality.
Check out Sun Tan City’s Web site for more information and to see some of the women Stratton competed against at http://www.suntancity.com.
