During the finals of the Miss Universe pageant, 22-year-old fourth runner-up Miss Philippines Venus Raj was asked by judge William Baldwin, "What is one big mistake that you've made in your life and what did you do to make it right?"
Raj responded by thanking him for asking such a question, followed by, "You know what, Sir, in my 22 year of existence, I can say that there is nothing major major, I mean, problem that I have done in my life. Because I am very confident with my family, with the love that they are giving to me. So, thank you so much that I am here, thank you. Thank you so much."
Not only did Raj (who graduated college with honors) avert any amount of introspection, but she also ran into some public speaking double trouble. Her repeated use of the word "major" makes one question if Raj was trying to impersonate the Little Caesars cartoon character, famous for his "Pizza! Pizza!" mantra, or emphasizing an affinity for American culture by mimicking a certain Life cereal commercial starring a finicky 4-year-old named Mikey.
There is some speculation that the double word cost Miss Philippines a chance at the crown, which was won by Miss Mexico Jimena Navarrete.
The unnecessary use of "major" (which is now a linguistic phenomenon of international proportions) may be attributed to Victoria Beckham. Posh first popularized the term in her reality show Victoria Beckham: Coming to America, in which she might refer to a pair of six-inch pumps as "major" or use the word to describe a Beverly Hills trophy wife doing her impression of a dolphin.
In the new season of The Rachel Zoe Project, the neurotic celebrity stylist has replaced her token "literally" with the phrase "so major" ... also used in reference to six-inch pumps. Perhaps Raj's high heels were channeling the intellectual prowess of Beckham and Zoe, resulting in her regrettable major word vomit.
