And the winner is… Miss Colombia! A night filled with beauty and entertainment all around, this year’s Miss Universe pageant was a must see. Paulina Vega was the lucky lady crowned, despite being a relative pageant newcomer. On January 25th, Miami was the host of more than 80 beautiful women from all around the world. The winner, Paulina Vega, is a 22-year-old business student from the beautiful costal city of Barranquilla, Colombia, which is also the birth place of famous singer/songwriter, Shakira. The young Colombian beauty queen stated that she would wear the crown with “pride and excitement.” Fans in Colombia took to the streets to celebrate, supporting their compatriot queen. During a post-pageant press conference, Paulina stated how much support she felt from her fellow Latinos in the culturally rich Miami. She was quoted saying,
“It felt like home. I felt like I was in Colombia with my people. I felt that support in every moment of the pageant.”
Women in Latin American find a lot of pride in representing their country, and Paulina was no exception.
As if winning wasn’t excitement enough, Paulina was predicted to take the crown by non other than the illustrious Donald Trump.He mentioned that he and other people knew she was a star, “from the moment she walked in the building.”
The top five included Miss USA, Miss Ukraine, Miss Netherlands, Miss Jamaica, and Miss Colombia. This year’s show had no falls, wardrobe malfunctions, or major blunders, but it was surely not lacking in amusement. As is customary, the sparkle-filled night kicked off with the opening ceremony costumes. All one can say about these costumes is, “man, that’s a lot of national pride, feathers, and glitter.” The costumes that stole the show were those proudly donned by Miss Canada, Miss British Virgin Islands’, and Miss Indonesia. Can I also just add that Miss Indonesia’s ensemble weighed 44 pounds (talk about dedication!) and her dedication paid off when she took the title for Best National Costume.
It goes without saying that all of these beauties had what it took to be on that stage on Sunday night. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year’s pageant.
