Photo below: Molly Sims and Cris Judd pose with Shannon Knopke, the winner of the first Gillette Venus Divine "Legs of a Goddess" contest in Los Angeles.
Photos courtesy of Gillette

Jun 17, 2004/ FW/ --- Actress Molly Sims and choreographer/actor Cris Judd celebrated the launch of Gillette's new Venus Divine razor by kicking off the company's second annual "Legs of a Goddess" contest, a nationwide search to find the woman with the best legs in America.

The search began on Friday, June 11 with a competition on the Santa Monica beachfront with local women invited to walk the runway and "strike a pose" for judges Sims, Judd and a scout from Karin Models, a leading modeling agency.

The judges were looking for women with shapely and toned legs, and a confident and enthusiastic attitude.

"The Venus Divine 'Legs of a Goddess' contest allows women to show off their inner and outer beauty," said Nancy Teumer, Business Director, female shaving, The Gillette Company.

"With a positive attitude and self confidence, and the right fitness regimen and proper beauty tools - such as our new Venus Divine razor - any woman can feel like a divine goddess."

Women came out to compete for cash and a Venus Divine prize package, plus the chance to advance to the finals in August.

The national winner of the "Legs of a Goddess" contest will receive a "Goddess Giveaway" which includes: a Venus Divine-inspired sapphire and diamond necklace from premier jewelry designer M&J Savitt, a "Goddess Getaway" for the winner and three friends to a tropical resort, and the chance to appear in a Venus Divine commercial. Shannon Knopke of Santa Monica, Calif. was named the winner in the first competition.

Gillette Venus Divine "Legs of a Goddess" contests will take place in 10 cities throughout the summer, including:

In each local event, one winner will be selected to advance to the finals. An additional finalist will be selected from mail-in entries. Women can enter by picking up a form at the "Destination Venus Divine Station," which will be touring the country this summer or by printing out an entry form at www.gillettevenus.com. "Legs of a Goddess" and "Destination Venus Divine Station" venues and cities are also featured on the Web site.

Venus Divine is Gillette's newest women's shaving system. Featuring a sapphire blue opalescent design with pearl accents, Venus Divine gives women the closest shave for divinely smooth skin, even in sensitive areas. Venus Divine features four innovations that work together to provide the closest shave: Comfort Coated™ blades, Intensive Moisture™ Strips, enhanced skin-smoothing cushions and a redesigned razor handle. Venus Divine is available at food, drug, convenience and mass merchandise stores throughout North America.

Molly Sims, an actress and supermodel, currently stars in NBC's hit show "Las Vegas.: She has appeared on numerous magazine covers and has graced the pages of Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue.

Cris Judd, a renowned choreographer, performer and actor, has worked with numerous celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion and *NSYNC. He currently is developing an instructional dance video and will appear in the off-Broadway revival of Dracula this fall.