When is a girl not a girl?

Here's Jenna Talackova, who used to be a contestant in Canada's Miss Universe pageant:


I say "used to" because Ms. Talackova also used to be something else: a guy. Until 4 years ago at age 19, when she had a sex-change operation. Which apparently supposedly is against the rules of the pageant. Which, quite frankly, sounds like the kind of rule that won't fly with the Canadian Supreme Court, but time will tell.

Asked in 2010 whether she regarded herself as a transgender or as a woman, a winking Talackova replied, "I regard myself as a woman -- with a history."

The photograph suggests that she has sufficient femininity for the pageant. In fact, pardon us for suspecting the real reason for her exclusion is that models nowadays are supposed to look like slim boys with large breasts tacked on, so the other contestants may think starting off as a boy gives Talackova an unfair advantage.

("Lack ova"? You can't make this stuff up.)