Miss Universe

The Miss Universe Pageant, as we all may very well know, is the most prestigious and glamorous of all the international beauty pageants today. Run by the Miss Universe Foundation (which was acquired by the real estate mogul Donald Trump in 1996), the Miss Universe Pageant is an annual beauty contest that has been going on for almost sixty years now (since 1952). Held in Long Beach, California, the very first Miss Universe was Miss Finland – Armi Kuusela. Her reign, however, was cut short when she opted to relinquish her crown to marry Filipino tycoon Virgilio Hilario. It did not take long, of course, before the Miss Universe Pageant generated enough interest so that it needed to be televised. In 1955, this happened for the Pageant, but it was not until CBS started to air it with the Miss USA Pageant in 1960. By 1965, the Miss Universe Pageant was its very own show. CBS continued to air the Miss Universe Pageant until 2003, when NBC finally managed to get the television rights for the event.

It’s not surprising at all that any young woman who becomes Miss Canada would also desire to become Miss Universe. After all, winning the Miss Universe Pageant not only brings Canada pride, but also give the Miss Canada contestant a chance to fly all over the world and serve as an ambassador for the cause that she is most passionate about during the year of her reign. This kind of exposure will not only help to promote the cause of her choice, but it will also provide her with the kind of experience and contacts that she would need should she wish to continue making efforts towards her humanitarian goals.

So far, the Miss Universe Pageant has only been won by Miss Canada twice – the first being in 1982 (Karen Dianne Baldwin), and the second being in 2005 (Natalie Glebova).