by Telly G. Ocampo

Miss Universe through the years

Since I was young, I have been a fan of Miss Universe – from Armi Kusela to the present. Armi Kusela was the first Ms. Universe in my young mind.  She represented Finland in that competition.  She was a natural beauty, the way beauty was defined in our time.  The beauty of Miss Finland captivated the heart of Gil Hilario who became her husband. Gil Hilario at that time was a Manila bachelor who came from the Philippines’s finest and richest. After they got married, Gil and Armi built the Gilarmi apartments, one of the landmarks of old Makari. Gil Hilario pursued Armi Kusela to Finland and built their family in Manila. 

In one of her interviews, after her victory as Miss Universe, she was asked the question: What will make your stay in the Philippines memorable? Her answer was quick: ADOBO!.

So, when Gil Hilario pursued her in Finland, he brought with him some AHOS – a must ingredient for adobo.  They got married. He died at an early age.  Armi kusela remarried later. 

At that time, the Miss Universe competitions could only be experienced through the radio broadcasts and the Philippine Free Press, the leading newspaper.  Later, the black and white television came and out of the Miss Universe competions shown on tv, the Philippines produced two (2) winners for the Miss Universe title: Gloria Diaz and Margarita “Margie” Moran. 

Gloria Diaz won in the competition held in the USA while Margie Moran had her victory in Greece. Gloria Diaz’ reign became more memorable since it coincided with the first step of man on the moon. One of the strongest points Ms Diaz during the competition was her answer to the question related to man’s landing on the moon: “If you are to entertain the astronauts when they landed from the moon, what will u serve them?” She gave a very practical answer. She said: “Something that they were used to eat before their journey to the moon.  Food in space is different.“

In those days, candidates to the Miss Universe competition were also judged based on their decorum, not only on stage but also off stage not to forget the way they carried themselves.

  • Gloria Diaz was one candidate who did not leave her room unkempt. 
  • Margie Moran was elegant and regal in her gown worn in Greece. 

National costume, then, for the Miss Universe Philippines contender was either Terno or Maria Clara.  Gloria and Margie are girls from the higher echelon of society.  They were convent bred and were definitely exposed to the finer and nicer things in life. They were simple, yet class.  They showed all these before, during and after the competition they participated in.

Pia Wurzback and Catriona Gray are modern women and products of modern times.  They are Filipinas who have what we call now as “dual citizenship”, hence, they are exposed to countries of their parents. They can be called as the modern Filipina.

From Pia Wurzback to the present, I never missed to see any of the Miss Universe Beauty Pageants. I noticed that, now, the standard for the contest has chaned. All the girls are beautiful, I agree, but i still think that naturalness and natural beauty should prevail. This is the reason, I must admit, that I did not have Rabiya Mateo as my bet. My feeling during the competition was: she focused herself more on physical appearance and stage performance rather than moving natural ang going calm.  There was something odd in the way she walked, including her nose and her upper front part. Are these the products of bodywork?  And her national costume did not show at all her being Filipina. The “Philippine Terno” or the “Maria Clara” is beyond compare especially if we showcase the piňa and the callados.  We can look at the design of our Ramon Valera and Pitoy Moreno.  Versace belongs to another world. 

Who were my bets?  They were the candidates from Peru, Bolivia, Curacao, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico.  I would have chosen Miss Curacao.  And why?  She was diagnosed as autistic when she was a child.  She underwent therapy, but the only “but” she has as far as I am concerned is: Anak siya ug datu ra kaayo.  Who among the candidates can afford a stable of pedigree horses? 

Miss Bolivia was natural and “smooth” in her strides.  As a daughter of a farmer, she taught urban farming for people not to go hungry in these pandemic times.  To the future Miss Universe Philippines here is a piece of unsolicited advice: Be a true Filipina first, before you try to conquer the universe.