(Blame David Flanders for this one….)
Larissa Riquelme, the captivating lingerie model who enchanted soccer fans around the world with her enthusiastic support of the Paraguayan World Cup team, saw her pledge to run nude through the streets of Paraguay end in heartbreak when Spain defeated her favorite team in the quarterfinals last weekend. The beautiful Paraguayan has good news for her eager fans who were disappointed by the loss. Riquelme says she will run naked through Asuncion through Asuncion, even though Paraguay did not win the World Cup. The curvy model says her nude run “will be a present to all of the players, and for all the people in Paraguay to enjoy.”
OK, so I’d been thinking that this whole Larissa-Riquelme-running-naked meme had (finally, mercifully) played itself out. After all, Riquelme’s pledge obligated her to run naked througn Asuncion if Paraguay won the World Cup. After being eliminated by Spain 1-0 in the quarterfinals last weekend, it seemed the dream of millions of Paraguayan men had died. No Paraguayan World Cup title, no naked lingerie model hoofing it through the soon-to-be-clogged streets of the capitol. Damn the bad luck, eh?
Apparently, Riquelme, blessed as she is with an impressive…um, cell phone holder…was so overwhelmed by the heroic performance of her beloved Paraguayan national team that she’s decided to run naked as a gift to the team. I’m not so sure how this will ultimately play out in overwhelmingly Catholic and very conservative Paraguay. If you think about it, though, this whole episode has been a brilliant (and free) guerilla marketing campaign that’s gone viral…and then some. As a lingerie model, Riquelme isn’t exactly unfamiliar with displaying a lot of skin, so she’s not exactly in uncharted waters. Running naked through Paraguay’s capitol, though, may just be another thing altogether. Whether or not she actually ever is allowed to run au naturel through the streets of Asuncion is still an open question. Regardless, you can bet that Riquelme’s modeling career isn’t going to be damaged by the worldwide publicity.
And now I think I can safely say that this story has officially run its course, don’tchathink?? Back to our regularly scheduled silliness….
