G.A. Viray
The entire universe is now again waiting and anticipating as to who will be Miss Universe 2014. All the glam, all the beauty, everything most girls dream of, but there’s a side to the pageant that can actually turn all that beauty into something, well— not at all pretty.
Yes, even the most prestigious beauty pageant in the entire universe can actually get dirty. And, yes, we’ve just gathered all that dirt and controversy, just to let you know that beauty pageants are not what you’ve always imagined. Miss Universe is the most awaited annual beauty pageant, but it can also be the most controversial.
Which controversies made it to the top? Read on!
1. Miss Universe 1952, Armi Kuusela of Finland
Armi Kussela was not just the first Miss Universe in history, but she was also the very first one to resign from her reign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY-Srypw9gE
The controversy: Armi wanted to relinquish her crown
The reason: She wanted to get married.
The problem: She was already 10 months into her reign as the title holder.
The verdict: Pageant Organizers let her keep her crown as there was no clear protocol at that time yet.
Talk about having the crown and the love of your life beside you! Also, her lucky husband is a Filipino named Virgilio Hilario, a businessman.
2. Miss Universe 1957, Gladys Zender of Peru
Gladys’ father told the press that she was only 17 years and 7 months when she joined Miss Universe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLHam2UzT0Q
The controversy: Pageant officials deliberated if she should still keep her crown.
The reason: She was under-aged.
The problem: She was 10 months into her reign as the title holder.
The verdict: Pageant Organizers let her keep her crown since age is rounded up in Peru.
It was a close call for the Peruvian beauty, whew!
3. Miss Universe 1974, Amparo Muñoz of Spain
Miss Universe 1974 was actually held in the Philippines and was one of the most controversial and most complicated Miss Universe pageants.
The controversy: Amparo wanted to resign just 6 months into her reign.
The reason: She wanted to pursue her acting career. (She even starred in a movie in the Philippines.)
The problem: There was no qualified replacements among her runners-up.
The verdict: The Pageant officials did not pass the crown to either 1st runner-up Miss Wales or to 2nd runner-up, Miss Finland. It was Miss Universe 1972 who crowned Amparo’s successor, Miss Universe 1975, Anne Marie Pohtamo of Finland.
More dirt: That year, Miss Wales who was 1st runner-up became Miss World so she can’t hold two titles. To make things more unfavorable for the beauty, it was later found out that Miss Wales was an unwed mother.
4. Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado of Venezuela
Miss Universe really is about body image too.
The controversy: Pageant officials wanted to dethrone Alicia and replace her with first-runner up, Miss Aruba Taryn Mansell
The reason: She was gaining weight!
The problem: She was forced by Donald Trump to lose weight. He even called her, the “eating machine”!
The verdict: Alicia worked out just in time to lose weight for the Miss Universe 1997 Pageant.
Alicia may have had a happy ending during her reign, but in 2005, her fiance ended their engagement as she was caught having intercourse on camera in a reality show called, “La Granja”.
She is also the only Miss Universe title holder who has posed nude for Playboy in 2006.
5. Miss Universe 2002, Oxana Fedorova of Russia
The beauties in our story were either relinquishing their crown, or those who almost got sacked for a reason or two, however our next beauty was dethroned for unclear reasons.
The controversy: Oxana was dethroned as Miss Universe 2002
The reason: She failed to perform her duties as Miss Universe.
The problem: It was actually unclear as to which duties she was not able to perform.
The verdict: Oxana was replaced by her first runner-up, Miss Panama, Justine Pasek.
Although Miss Universe does not consider her as an official title holder anymore, Oxana was named as the most beautiful Miss Universe of all time by Global Beauties in 2011.
6. Miss Universe 2004, Jennifer Hawkins of Australia
A controversial photo that almost cost a Miss Universe her title!
The controversy: Jennifer almost had to relinquish her crown
The reason: She appeared nude in Hustler magazine.
The problem: Nude photos of her surfaced right after she was crowned.
The verdict: Jennifer was able to survive the controversy
Unfortunately, it seems like Jennifer never learned. In 2010, she again appeared in Marie Claire naked on its cover, and of course, she was criticized for it!
7. Miss Universe 2009, Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela
This Miss Universe was involved in two serious controversies in just her one year reign.
The controversy: Stefania had to defend her crown.
The reason: She was successor to another Venezuelan Miss Universe.
The problem: It was rumored that her winning the crown was fixed.
The verdict: Jennifer was able to defend her title.
The controversy didn’t end by her having to defend her title, much worse, her boyfriend Julio Marcollu was a suspect for murder. Stefania eventually stood by Julio’s side and although Julio was innocent of the crime, speculations still exist until this day.
8. Miss Universe 2013, Gabriella Isler of Venezuela
How far should one go in order to become pageant-beautiful?
The controversy: Gabriella underwent plastic surgery
The problem: Gabriella’s old photos surfaced showing an entirely different her.
The verdict: Well, this controversy isn’t as major as being dethroned or her having to relinquish her crown, but it definitely made news. It apparently delivered a message that there is a need to alter one’s look in order to be considered a beauty queen.
9. Miss Universe Canada 2012 candidate Jenna Talackova
Yup, you read it right, she was not a Miss Universe, but she definitely is one of the most controversial, if not the most controversial candidate in a pageant searching for Miss Universe candidates.
The controversy: Jenna isn’t “naturally” qualified to join the pageant.
The reason: She was not a “naturally-born” woman.
The problem: Jenna was born a boy.
The verdict: Jenna was allowed to compete in the pageant as the Miss Universe officials received a lot of criticisms for disqualifying her in the first place.
Jenna wasn’t just the first transgender Miss Universe Canada contestant, she also got into the Top 12 that year, and is now the most successful transgender of all time.
10. Miss Universe 2014 Candidates Miss Israel and Miss Lebanon
When a selfie is worth a thousand words.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBem3fsnTM
The controversy: Miss Israel Doron Matalon and Miss Lebanon Saly Greige in a “controversial selfie”.
The reason: Miss Lebanon claims that Miss Israel “photobombed” her
The problem: Israel and Lebanon has been in conflict for the longest time. Their selfie together actually made Lebanese press criticize Saly as it is against the law to have any associations with Israelis. This selfie also began the spat between the two candidates on social media.
The verdict: The issue has been one of the most talked about controversies at the moment as beauty pageants are supposed to promote “world peace”.
This selfie issue also seems just like a repeat in the Miss Universe history as Miss Lebanon 1993 was disqualified by their government to compete as a photo of her smiling with Miss Israel was published by a French news agency.
11. Host Steve Harvey announces wrong winner: Miss Colombia instead of Miss Philippines
Ariadna Gutiérrez’s 1-minute-moment as Miss Universe; Miss Colombia, de-crowned for Miss Philippines
Just moments after being crowned Miss Universe 2015, Ariadna Gutiérrez of Colombia was stripped of her title on live television — and it was all Steve Harvey’s mistake. He announced the wrong winner of the Miss Universe 2015 pageant and the crowd watched in heartbreak and horror as the crown had to be removed from the head of one contestant and placed on another.
Harvey then revealed it was was actually Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who had just been declared first runner up only minutes before, that was the true winner of Miss Universe 2015.
Do you know of any other Miss Universe controversies? Please leave a comment below.
