Curious Facts About the Miss Universe Pageant

The views of men from all over the world these days are riveted to Moscow: participants in the Miss Universe contest, 86 of the most beautiful girls on the planet, have gathered in the Russian capital. November 9 will be the final of the competition, which is held in Russia for the first time. For this event, we offer you a selection of very curious and piquant details.

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1. So, on November 9, according to the results of the voting of the judges, the winner will be selected, who will receive the crown from the hands of Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo from the USA.

2. By the way, last year the representative of the United States won the competition for the first time in 15 years.

3. Russia is represented by Elmira Abdrazakova, the winner of the Miss Russia 2013 beauty contest. About 19-year-old Elmira, who is among the main contenders for the victory, we can say that this girl from the Siberian city of Mezhdurechensk reads poetry, plays the piano virtuoso, swims well.

“There are moments when I look at myself and think - a pretty girl. And sometimes I look and think - Lord, it's me! The most important thing is what's inside. You can change your appearance - you will be an ideal beauty, but inside you will be empty, ”says participant Elmira Abdrazakova.

4. Beauty has been a subject of controversy and contention for centuries, and this year's Miss Universe is no exception. For example, the oldest participant in the competition is 27-year-old Canadian representative Riza Santos. She literally managed to snatch victory from the hands of a competitor, overtaking her rival thanks to a mistake in counting votes in the national Miss Canada pageant.

5. Australian Olivia Wells loves the adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables so much that she can quote every line from the musical.

6. Beauty from Kosovo, Mirheta Shala, refused to participate in the competition due to the fact that Russia does not recognize the political independence of her country.

7. This year, for the first time, Azerbaijan takes part in the competition, and it is represented by 21-year-old Aysel Manafova.

Participants in the Miss Universe contest are usually selected at the national beauty pageants of the participating countries. However, this is not always the case. Australia's 2004 contestant Jennifer Hawkins was simply selected by a modeling agency and the Australian national pageant was not held as it was considered very outdated...

8. Actor, producer, head of Bravo TV channel Andy Cohen, who was the host of last year's Miss Universe pageant, refused to travel to Russia because he was concerned for his safety. The reason for this reaction was the law banning propaganda of homosexuality among minors.

9. It also became known that the guest host of the finals of the Miss Universe 2013 beauty contest, openly gay Thomas Roberts (pictured right), as a protest against intolerance towards representatives of the LGBT community, invited his partner to the show as a co-host. “We have to be visible, we have to drive and, as Harvey Milk said, we have to 'give them hope'. I'm going to prove that there is hope, ”the American TV presenter explained his decision.

10. A little about the history of the competition, which has more than 60 years. After winning the 1951 Miss America pageant, Yolanda Betbese refused to pose in a swimsuit from the main sponsor. Then, in 1952, an offended swimsuit manufacturer founded the alternative American pageant Miss USA and the international Miss Universe pageant.

The competition was first televised in 1955. Until 1971, the competition was held in the United States, but since 1972 it has been held in a new country every year.

In 1996, the rights to host the contest were bought by Donald Trump (pictured kissing Olivia Culpo from last year's contest).

11. Russia as a separate country has been participating in the competition since 1994. In 2002, the winner of the competition was Miss Russia Oksana Fedorova (pictured). However, she lost the title after failing to complete all of the duties associated with it.

12. In 2005, Natalya Glebova, Miss Canada, who was born in Russia, Tuapse, won.

13. The geography of the participating countries continues to expand. In recent years, China, Albania, Vietnam, Georgia and other countries have joined it. You can participate in Miss Universe several times: this year, as many as 5 contestants from Austria, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Turks and Caicos and Myanmar will fight for the title for the second time.