The all-natural look did not win any prizes this year at the nine-day World Irish Dancing Championships in Belfast. The young girls among the dancers — who came from as far away as China, South Africa, Australia and Canada — applied spray-tanner and wore purple eyeshadow and pink lipstick and sparkly dresses and wigs with long ringlets. As the story goes among dancers, the curly wigs derive from the tradition of Irish girls dressing up for Sunday Mass.
The New York Times has a great gallery showcasing this peculiar dance event. Warning: some of these pics are pretty scary.
Click the pic to see more.