13 Miss Universe Winners Who Show Us How Beauty Standards Have Changed Over The Years
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The Miss Universe pageant was first founded in 1952 and was created as a marketing stunt by a California company. As time went on, the pageant became the most-watched beauty pageant in the whole world. There have been around 68 Miss Universe titleholders, and the pageant has opened plenty of doors and provided the winners with some incredible economic opportunities. We’ve gotten to witness how beauty standards have changed over the years in terms of body type as well as facial features. So here’s a deep look into thirteen winners of the Miss Universe pageant to examine how beauty standards have changed over the years:
1. Akiko Kojima From Japan, 1959
Akimo Kojima is a Japanese beauty queen and model who became the first Japanese and Asian woman to win the title of Miss Universe. She was known for having a voluptuous figure and was only 23 when she was crowned. Japan didn’t take home the title for another forty-eight years until Riyo Mori won the pageant in 2007. Akiko Kojima was succeeded by Linda Bement from the United States.
2. Kerry Anne Wells Australia From 1972
Kerry Anne Wells is an Australian writer, fashion designer, former beauty queen, and news anchor who was crowned Miss Universe in 1972. Unfortunately, she was crowned during a period of turmoil. The pageant was being held outside of the United States for the first time. The moment that she was crowned was not showcased on television as there was a strike happening among the pageant electricians. Before she decided to try her luck in pageants, she was a weather girl.
3. Amparo Munoz From Spain, 1974
Amparo Munoz was a Spanish model, actress, and former beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe in the year 1974. The contest was held in Manilla, Philippines, and Amparo became the first and only Spanish woman to hold the title. She was known for her deep striking green eyes and dark brown hair.
4. Margaret Gardiner From South Africa, 1978
Margaret Gardiner is the first woman from South Africa to hold the title of Miss Universe. She was a mere 18 years old when she won the competition. The next woman from South Africa to win the Miss Universe title was Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters in the year 2017.
5. Lorraine Downes From New Zealand, 1983
Lorraine is a dancer and former beauty queen who held the title of Miss Universe in the year 1983. After winning the title of Miss New Zealand, Lorraine was enrolled in the Miss Universe pageant. During the competition, Lorraine wore a gorgeous midnight blue gown. Her win at the Miss Universe pageant was the first for New Zealand as women from New Zealand had only placed in the semi-finals in the past.
6. Michelle McLean From Namibia, 1992
Michelle McLean is an actress, model, writer, and beauty queen. She was crowned as Miss Universe in the year 1992. She was crowned in Thailand at 19, and she was the first woman from Namibia to win this title. In 1991, she was crowned Miss Namibia and had even placed as the fourth runner-up at Miss World in the same year.
7. Sushmita Sen From India, 1994
India got its first taste of the Miss Universe title when Sushmita Sen won the crown in 1994. Sushmita was crowned on May 21st, 1994, in the Philippines. She is currently an actress, model, and mother of two and has acted in plenty of successful films in Bollywood as well. She is the first of the many Indians to win this title and was later followed by model and actress Lara Dutta in 2000.
8. Brook Lee From The United States Of America, 1997
Brook Antoinette Mahealani Lee is an actress of American origin. She is also a television host, a model, and a former beauty queen. She holds three titles, Miss Hawaii USA 1997, Miss USA 1997, and finally Miss Universe 1997. Brook is of mixed ancestry, and her Korean grandmother was the first to move to the United States in the 1950s. She is of Korean, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, French, Dutch, and Native Hawaiian descent.
9. Mpule Kwelagobe From Botswana, 1999
Mpule Keneilwe Kwelagobe is a businesswoman, model, and former beauty queen from Botswana who was crowned as Miss Universe in the year 1999. She was the first black African woman to win in one of the Big 4 International beauty pageants and also the first woman from Botswana to win the crown. She had earlier been crowned Miss Botswana in 1997 and Miss Universe Botswana in 1999. She had also competed in Miss World 1997.
10. Amelia Vega From The Dominican Republic, 2003
Amelia Vega Polanco is a model, actress, singer, author, and former beauty queen from the Dominican Republic. She won the title of Miss Universe in 2003 at the age of 18. Amelia was the first-ever Miss Universe from the Dominican Republic and the youngest winner since Sushmita Sen bagged the crown in 1994. The Miss Universe pageant was held in Panama City on June 3rd.
11. Dayana Mendoza From Venezuela, 2008
Dayana Mendoza is an actress, film producer, model, director, and former beauty queen. She won the title of Miss Venezuela in the year 2007 and Miss Universe in 2008. She is also a holder of a Guinness Record as another woman of Venezuelan origin, Stefania Fernandez, won the title in 2009. This was the only time that any nation had won the titles in a row consecutively.
12. Leila Lopes From Angola, 2011
Leila Luliana Da Costa Viera Lopes Umenyiora is an actress, TV host, model, and former beauty queen who won the title of Miss Universe in 2011. She was crowned in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and received the title from former Miss Universe, Ximena Navarrete. She is the first woman from Angola to hold the title of Miss Universe and the 5th woman of African descent to win the title since the pageant’s beginnings.
13. Pia Wurtzbach From The Philippines, 2015
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is a Filipino-German model, actress, and former beauty queen who was crowned as Miss Universe in the year 2015. She was crowned Miss Universe Philippines in 2015. She is the third Filipina woman to win the title of Miss Universe. The first being Gloria Diaz and the second being Margie Moran. Her pageant win is infamously known due to the host, Family Feud Steve Harvey, mistakenly announcing Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner, and Pia as runner up. After Gutierrez was mistakenly crowned, Harvey walked back onto the stage and announced that he had misread the results and apologized for the same. Paulina Vega, who was Miss Universe 2014, then took the crown off Miss Gutierrez’s head and placed it on Pia Wurtzbach’s head.
As we see, Miss Universe has had quite a few diverse winners from various countries. More Latino and Black women have been bagging the crowns showing a diverse range of unique non-euro-centric beauty as time has passed. Do let us know which of these pageant winners was your favorite in the comment section below!
