Ever heard of the proverbial question “is the glass half empty or half full?” for Morten Traavik, a Norwegian artist who organised a controversial beauty pageant for land mine survivors; seems to be half full!

The controversial beauty pageant “Miss Landmine 2009” was set to take place in Cambodia last year before it was banned by government decree on July 31st. The decree also forbade the 20 Miss Landmine 2009 pageant contestants to leave their hometowns to participate. Morten Traavik, the beauty pageant organizer who left Cambodia after the pageant was banned returned early last month and visited 10 of the 20 beauty pageant contestants in their home villages to distribute prize money to each of them. The top prize of $1,000 USD and a custom-made titanium prosthetic limb that will be custom-made went to 19 year old Dos Sopheap, from the Cambodian province of Battambang. The custom-made titanium prosthetic limb will be manufactured after Sopheap’s fitting that took place during Traavik’s visit to Battmbang provice on December 5.

Why is it that society gets so sensitive over events like Miss Landmine 2009? It appears to me that Traavik took something as negative and devastating as losing a limb through a land mine and turned it into something that empowered the victims of that event. I say the glass is definitely half full for Morten Traavik, Dos Sopheap, and the other Miss Landmine 2009 pageant contestants!

How do you feel about Miss Landmine 2009? Do you agree with banning events like this? Do you think that people with limb loss should not participate in beauty pageants?

Read more about Morten Travik and Miss Landmine 2009