Big breasts, long legs, a flat stomach and a firm behind are usually seen in every video on MTV. They’re also all a part of nearly every photo submitted to Sacramento State’s first “Hornet Hotties” contest.

More than 30 Sac State women are currently featured at hornethotties.com and are looking for votes in order to claim the title of the ultimate “Miss Hornet Hottie.” The winner will also collect a $500 prize and the top 12 student bodies will be featured in a 2007 calendar. And although the contest will feature dozens of Sac State’s most beautiful women, the contest itself was spawned from two male upperclassmen.

“My roommate and I were just tossing ideas around over the summer and we just kind of came up with it,” said 22-year-old international communication studies junior Farris Gaylon. “But it wasn’t until we looked through the face book and found a web designer that we really started acting on it.”

Contestants, the website reads, must be at least 18 years old, verify enrollment at Sac State, can’t be nude in her photos and, of course, be women.

Both Gaylon and accounting senior Jeff Maddux began using MySpace to spread the word of their contest idea and received a remarkable amount of support and interest from their peers, as well as total strangers.

“I’d say about 90% of the girls involved have contacted us about wanting to be in it,” Gaylon said. “Right now I’d say we’ve got about 30 girls and over 8,000 votes all total.”

Voting for a candidate can be done at the contest website or on any of the contestant’s MySpace accounts. Anyone may vote and can do so as many times as he or she wishes. And because the votes won’t be completed and counted until mid-October, some contestants have been gathering votes by hitting the campaign trail.

“A friend of mine printed out some flyers for me to pass out,” said 24-year-old Joanna Hernandez. The social work junior works as a nightclub promoter and will try to use that to her advantage to boost her recognition and ultimately her chances of winning. And while she admits that popularity will undoubtedly play a part in determining the winner, her involvement in the contest is more than just skin deep.

“I just want to defeat the stereotype that hot chicks aren’t smart,” Hernandez said. “The whole ‘she’s hot and she’s got brains too’ is definitely part of why I’m doing it.”

Junior kinesiology major Holly Harmon learned about Hornet Hotties from a friend’s MySpace page and decided it was definitely something she wanted to be a part of. Harmon is excited to participate in the competition and to prove that a down-to-earth, working, college girl can look as good as any dolled-up daytime diva. But when it comes to her looks, there’s one thing that stands out more than others.

“People know me for my hair,” the 20-year-old said.”It’s naturally very curly and it really stands out.”

So far Gaylon and Maddux haven’t spent a dime on the organization or development of the contest. The two will, however, be using their own finances to furnish the $500 prize to be given to the winner. The two have also wrangled several sponsors to help with the eventual costs of a live show for the finale on Nov. 3 at the Barcode nightclub on Arden Way. The DV8 fashion boutique and the CAST Images Talent Agency, both of Sacramento, donated their services to the competition.

Josh Huggett can be reached at [email protected]