Miss Universe (1960-2018)

What do Miriam Stevenson, Carol Morris, Linda Bement, Sylvia Hitchcock, Shawn Weatherly, Chelsi Smith, Brooke Lee, Olivia Culpo and R’Bonney Gabriel have in common? All of these leggy ladies have represented the United States when they were crowned Miss Universe. Other winners include Finland’s Armi Kuusela, France’s Christiane Martel, Sweden’s Hellevi Rombin, Peru’s Gladys Zender, Colombia’s Luz Marina Zuluaga, Japan’s Akiko Kojima, Germany’s Marlene Schmidt, Argentina’s Norma Nolan, Brazil’s Idea Maria Vargas, Greece’s Corinna Tsopei, Thailand’s Apasra Hongsakula, Australia’s Kerry Anne Wells, Israel’s Rina Mor, Venezuela’s Stefanía Fernández, South Africa’s Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, India’s Harnaaz Sandhu, and Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios. For decades, the annual Miss Universe (1960-2023) beauty pageant has been a major international event known for its comely contestants; various hosts (Bob Barker, Dick Clark, Billy Bush, Daisy Fuentes, Nancy O’Dell, Mel B, Steve Harvey); global judges (Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, Giselle Blondet); and notorious owners (Donald Trump, Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip). Together, these forces try to find the most beautiful woman in the world — make that, the universe! Needless to say, some ceremonies stand out more than others. For example, the stiff competition of 2018 gave Mr. Skin a stiffy! Although the title ultimately went to Catriona Gray from the Philippines, India’s Nehal Chudasama raised our interest — among other things. Indeed, we consider her nip slip to be the evening’s winner! When the raven-haired hottie lifted her arms as she came up to the mic, her nipple said hello from out of her gown. That kind of greeting needs no translation!