How 20+ “Miss Universe” Winners From Last Century Looked
“Miss Universe” is one of the most prestigious beauty contests in the world. It’s been conducted since 1952 and is a part of the Big Four international beauty pageants, along with “Miss World,” “Miss International,” and “Miss Earth.”
The CHEERY team is charmed with each winner of this contest, and we think you’ll also appreciate the beauty ideals of the twentieth century.
1. Armi Kuusela (1952)
Armi Kuusela is a Finnish photo model and actress. She was the first winner of the contest. After her victory, Finland produced the movie, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, where the young lady played herself.
2. Hillevi Rombin (1955)
Hillevi Rombin was from Sweden. She was involved in professional sports before taking part in beauty contests. After her victory in “Miss Universe,” she left for Hollywood where she studied acting. She managed to play 2 episodical roles before getting married and abandoning her modeling and acting career. The photo above is of Hillevi and her husband.
3. Luz Marina Zuluaga (1958)
The model was born in Colombia and, until the year 2014, she was the only Colombian woman to ever earn the “Miss Universe” title. As curious as it might sound, the young lady got entered into the contest accidentally — she took second place in the “Miss Colombia” contest, but since the girl who took first place got married, she could no longer take part in the “Miss Universe” contest according to the rules, so Luz was entered into the contest instead of her.
4. Marlene Schmidt (1961)
So far, Marlene Schmidt is the first and only German girl to earn the “Miss Universe” title. After her victory in the contest, she produced movies, wrote scripts, and built a career as an actress. Unfortunately, she failed to reach big success.
5. Apasra Hongsakula (1965)
Apasra Hongsakula was the first woman from Thailand to win the contest. Perhaps it happened because the Queen of Thailand herself was preparing the girl for participating in “Miss Universe” — she taught the girl how to have proper posture and move correctly.
6. Sylvia Hitchcock (1967)
The girl represented the USA in the contest. After her victory, she tried to build a career as a model in New York but failed to succeed and returned to her hometown to work for a television station.
7. Marisol Malaret (1970)
The destiny of this girl was quite harsh. She had to start working at a young age because of the demise of her father and the severe illness of her mother. However, it didn’t prevent Marisol Malaret from becoming successful. The girl became the first Puerto Rican woman to win the “Miss Universe” title.
8. Amparo Muñoz (1974)
After winning the beauty contest, the Spanish model decided to become an actress. She managed to act in 20 movies, the last of which was released in 2000.
9. Rina Mor (1976)
Rina Mor’s neighbor was submitting applications to participate in the beauty contest on behalf of Rina. At that time, Rina was serving in the army. Despite this, she managed to not only win the “Miss Israel” title but also “Miss Universe.”
Even 39 years later, the former model and current lawyer looks gorgeous.
10. Janelle Commissiong (1977)
Janelle at 24 y.o. became the first black woman to win the prestigious pageant crown. Now she is working on developing tourism in her home country, Trinidad and Tobago.
Janelle is 61 years old in this photo and looks like a real queen.
11. Margaret Gardiner (1978)
Margaret Gardiner is the first woman from South Africa to ever win the contest. She is a successful journalist and a writer and has 2 books dedicated to health and beauty.
According to the way she looks, Margaret knows how to take care of herself. Look at how good she looks at the age of 59!
12. Shawn Weatherly (1980)
Shawn Weatherly was the third child to be born in the family of the former Christian Dior model. She is a nurse by profession. After winning the contest, she acted in several movies and TV series — she played Jill Riley in Baywatch.
13. Yvonne Ryding (1984)
Yvonne Ryding is a TV host and a dancer. She was the third Swedish woman to get the “Miss Universe” title. The girl was 21 years old at the time. Later, she started her own cosmetics line.
Yvonne is 45 years old in this photo.
14. Deborah Carthy-Deu (1985)
Deborah Carthy-Deu was the second Puerto Rican girl to win the “Miss Universe” title. Today, she is a famous actress and TV host in her country.
15. Cecilia Bolocco (1987)
Cecilia Bolocco acts in movies and hosts various TV programs. She was the first girl from Chile to earn the “Miss Universe” title.
16. Angela Visser (1989)
In 1988, Angela Visser took part in the “Miss World” contest, but she didn’t even place in the final 10. One year later, her second attempt was a success, and the girl got the “Miss Universe” title. After her victory, Angela started an acting career.
17. Mona Grudt (1990)
Mona is so far the only Norwegian to have earned the Miss Universe title. Today, she is the editor of a Norwegian magazine. Also, Mona came in second place in the Norwegian version of Dancing with the Stars.
18. Lupita Jones (1991)
Lupita became the first Mexican girl to get the “Miss Universe” title. She became the director of Mexico’s official beauty contest and helped 2 of her compatriots win in 2010 and 2020.
19. Dayanara Torres (1993)
Dayanara is a Puerto Rican model and actresss. The girl started an acting and modeling career after winning the contest.
20. Alicia Machado (1996)
Alicia Machado represented Venezuela in the contest and became the fourth winner from this country. After her win, she started to build her career in acting and even won the “Best New Actress” award in 1998.
Today, Alicia positions herself as an artist. She has an Instagram account and is doing well with 1.5 million followers.
21. Brook Lee (1997)
This girl has a mix of different nations flowing in her blood: Chinese, Korean, Hawaiian, Danish, Portuguese, French, and English. When Brook won the “Miss Universe” title, she was 26 years old, which is quite old for a beauty contest participant.
22. Mpule Kwelagobe (1999)
This girl comes from Botswana. After winning the contest, she enrolled in college and successfully graduated with a degree in international political economy (IPE). Mpule actively defends the rights of women and participates in campaigns aimed at preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS.
Do you think these girls would win the contest if they took part in it today? Or do you think the beauty standards have changed greatly since then?