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It looks like the outgoing Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela, just can't wait to get out of her sash and into... un escándalo?

Nearly, but not quite.  Mendoza, who will pass su corona to the new Miss Universe on August 23rd, posed for a spicy spread in an upcoming issue of men's mag Maxim.  Although the beauty queen didn't go full frontal para la revista, she did pose topless, with her arms covering up any XXX body parts.

The move is unusual for a Miss Universe title holder still in the public eye, pero she did not break any rules.  Pageant officials like Donald Trump gave the Venezuelan beauty their blessing to publish las fotos.  This isn't the first time that the Caracas model has had a run-in with the pageant committee.  Early on in her reign it was discovered she had taken provocative photos for a jewelry ad when she was fifteen.  The photos were deemed passable and she held onto her title.

The president of the Miss Universe organization, Paula Shugart, was content with Dayana's choice to bare herself, saying that the pics contained “nothing salacious" and were "just beautiful."

Looks like Mendoza will keep her record clean, rather than taking on a tarnished rep like troublesome reinas of beauty pageant past Tara Conner and Carrie Prejean. [MSNBC.com]

In other good looking news, this year's roster of Latinas for the Miss Universe pageant is looking fierce!  Check a few of the contestants below, and scope out the complete line-up on MissUniverse.com to see who would get your vote!

Mayella Mena, El Salvador

Karla Carillo, Mexico

Michelle Rouillard, Columbia

Images via Maxim Magazine and MissUniverse.com

Tags contestants, Dayana Mendoza, donald trump, ganadora, karla carillo, Latina, line-up, list, lista, mayella mena, michelle rouillard, Miss Universe, model, modela

Dayana Mendoza may have been crowned Miss Universe based on her breathtaking beauty, but la reina admits that useful street smarts also helped her conquer the game. The former fashion model's survival skills were put to the test two years ago after being kidnapped in Venezuela.

Being completely vanished from las calles of her hometown has inspired the 22-year-old to support the anti-violence initiative "la violencia no es el camino.” In turn, the bella surviver spoke out about her experience:

In reality [the experience] taught me how to manage my emotions, and control myself in any situation, which helped me a lot when it came to the Miss Universe pageant.

Oye, Dayanita definitely deserves street credit for this one! [MTV Tr3s Radio Noticias]

Can't get enough of this femme fatale? Check out Miss Universo chillin' with Daddy Yankee at the New York Latino Film Festival last week!

Read more...

Tags Daddy Yankee, Dayana Mendoza, Gossip, Latinas, Miss Universe, Venezuela

Being Latino is so hot right now...Advertisers want our money, A&Rs want in on our music and everyone wants to get the Brown look (c'mon you know that Latina women are the hottest). So, it wasn't a sorpresa that Latinas rocked the Miss Universe competition last night.

Venezuela, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Mexico all made it to the finals yesterday, but it was Dayana Mendoza of Venezuela who won the crowd over. What locked in our vote was the contestant's compelling answer to the age old question about men vs. woman:

Men think that the fastest way to go to a point is to go straight. Women know that the faster way to go to a point is to go to the curves.

Wow wa wee wa. What a way to keep the judges on their toes! Congrats! [Lossip]

Photo via Getty Images

Tags celebs, Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe