By Jacqueline Monahan
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Photo Credit: Stephen Thorburn

Eighth Annual Las Vegas Women’s Fair at South Point Hotel & Casino Exhibition Hall

On Saturday, January 31st, the large Exhibition Hall on the second floor of The South Point Hotel and Casino was flooded by a tidal wave of estrogen as the Eighth Annual Las Vegas Women’s Fair took up residence. Touted as an alternative to the testosterone-loaded Super Bowl Weekend, and showcasing “All Things That Women Love”, the event featured over 100 booths, many of them in your humble correspondent’s opinion, indeed displaying products and services near and dear to the female mindset. Well, most of them, anyway. More about that later. 

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Amid the shoes, jewelry, clothing, spa products, hair design, weight loss alternatives, and party toys (yes, THOSE kinds of toys courtesy of Party Gals), there were also booths dedicated to environmental and health services, organ donation, self defense, and recruitment for Metro Police and the Border Patrol.

The Main Stage hosted two brief shows by the men of Australia’s Thunder From Down Under troupe, gyrating to the pounding beat of Big & Rich’s country hit, “Save A Horse (Ride a Cowboy)”. More than a few of the screaming ladies did not mind showing their eagerness to comply. 6’7” Wildkat Edgerson from the Harlem Globetrotters also made an appearance, as did Jason Cook and Tyler Christopher (General Hospital’s Dr. Matt Hunter and Nikolas Cassidine, respectively). Hey, nothing conjures up the fairer sex like a daytime soap, an exhibition basketball star and a group of gyrating Aussies in black leather.

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Humorous contradictions could be found amid the festivities. A prominent Weight Watchers booth was positioned right next to one sponsored by Port O’ Subs. Various singles/dating establishments surrounded The Concealed Woman, which sold pepper spray and tasers, just in case those dates turned obsessive.

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Mary Kay vied with Avon for cosmetic superiority. PAMA/Hpnotiq liqueurs beckoned some guests away from their Zazz energy drinks to taste the more adult-oriented pomegranate and vodka/cognac/fruit juice blends. 98.5 (KLUC) offered cardboard fans (for hot flashes?) and packets of sunblock in the dead of winter. Jackson Hewitt gave out emery boards. Why? Because they want you to file – your taxes through them.

The University of Phoenix and Regis University appealed to aspiring brainiacs, while vein clinics and Botox med spas made promises to remove lines and creases. Fertility treatments (Sher Institute of Reproductive Medicine) hinted at the possibility of future offspring, while the Mommy Directory could give you information on what to do with them upon arrival, not to mention a great chance to put those lines and wrinkles right back on again.

Need a resort for your dog or cat? Tupperware? Digital scrapbooking? Home health care or hospital? Want to donate your eyes, organs or tissue? Need to know a place that conducts clinical trials or simply need some trial lawyers? Take a romp in trashy lingerie or wrap yourself in a Cozy Bra (feels good, looks like something Jacques Cousteau could have worn). Learn about mortgages and MetLife, and decide if a belly is for dancing or losing (TrimCare).

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With Mountain Dental Group covering oral hygiene and Vision Source for ocular perfection, Ideal Image was the place to make it look good once it worked properly. Who wants 20/20 vision if it comes with crow’s feet! Euphoria Salons offered free hair and makeup makeovers all day long for those who didn’t mind being on display in front of a tough crowd.

Got Junk? was there to offer assistance with the material overload that comes from a lifetime of consumer-oriented endeavors and advertisements.

Comprehensive Cancers Centers vied for space with LA Sunset Tan and Arbonne Swiss Skin Care for cell-level superiority. Star costume and Theatrical Supply could bring out your inner vamp, while Patty’s Closet (a Woman’s Boutique) could restore your yearning for more traditional togs.

The Southern Nevada Water Association handed out watering schedules and trinkets (I got a pen in the shape of a baseball bat – that should remind me to be a responsible water warrior), while the Tropical Smoothie Café doled out frozen fruit drinks to an impatient mob.

Albertsons and Little Pastry Chefs tempted the ladies with thoughts of calories waiting to be ingested. The Ford Motor Company lent its macho presence, as did Defending the Caveman, the long-running show at the Golden Nugget.

Some of the offerings were suspect. Do women really love Poker and Stripper 101 lessons or are there men somewhere gleefully congratulating themselves on the successful ruse. Maybe some women are into these decidedly Vegas pursuits, but they are by no means universal. Not like a manicure; not like chocolate. C’mon now.

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Still, a day spent eating, primping, and gathering numerous freebies (keychains, candy, pens, letter openers, cookies, tortillas, wrist bands) can soothe even a militant feminist, at least until the nail polish dries.

 

For further information:

http://www.southpointcasino.com


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