Caribbean beauties have been participating in this illustrious pageant for decades, but did you know that when the pageant first started in 1952, there were only 30 countries? And out of these 30 countries, there was only one Caribbean nation represented - Cuba - which sent delegates until 1967 under the banner "Free Cuba."
Caribbean beauties are among the most beautiful and certainly the most competitive contestants, as evidenced by the numerous international beauty crowns that they have won. Just to name a few: Jennifer Hosten of Grenada (Miss World 1970), Cindy Breakspeare of Jamaica (Miss World 1976), Wendy Fitzwilliam of Trinidad & Tobago (Miss Universe 1998), and Zuleyka Rivera of Puerto Rico (Miss Universe 2006).
In this year's Miss Universe pageant, there is no doubt that Caribbean beauties have stepped up their game and this year's Caribbean batch is so far the strongest that we have seen in a long time.
There are thirteen Caribbean beauties represented in the 2011 edition of Miss Universe. Let me share with you my thoughts on each of them.
Let's start with Miss Aruba, Gillain Berry. From the moment she stepped off the plane to So Paulo, one cannot help but be mesmerized by Gillain's stunning beauty. That perfectly chiseled face, that luscious ebony skin, and that graceful neck are reminiscent of a young and sophisticated Cicely Tyson.Gillain is always well-coiffed and well-dressed, and I haven't seen any bad picture of her so far. Aruba almost won Miss Universe in 1996 when Taryn Mansell placed second to Alicia Machado of Venezuela.
During the preliminaries last Thursday, Gillain almost tripped in the evening gown competition, but sometimes judges choose to see past this flaw. Can Gillain outperform Taryn to bring Aruba its first universal crown? We'll find out during the finals next Monday!
Miss Bahamas, Anastagia Pierre. Of all the Caribbean beauties competing in Miss Universe this year, my favorite is Anastagia, and I am not saying this because of her broad pageant experience but because she is unquestionably the most prepared and the most universally appealing of all the Caribbean delegates.Born in the U.S. of Haitian-Bahamian ancestry, Anastagia boasts of several major beauty titles that include Miss Florida USA 2004, Miss Florida USA 2009, Miss Bahamas Intercontinental 2010, and Miss Bahamas 2011.
I have followed Anastagias development for years and I must say that she has never looked so good as she does now. Not only is Anastagia beautiful and articulate, but shes also a very talented film maker as evidenced by the pageant-related videos that she has made and uploaded on YouTube.
Even if she doesnt win Miss Universe, there is no doubt that Anastagia will have a bright and promising future in the visual arts and entertainment industry. And did I say that her catwalk is out of this world?
Miss British Virgin Islands Sheroma Hodge. Clearly, Sheroma was the best candidate in the 2010 edition of the Miss British Virgin Islands pageant.Tall and elegant, Sheroma wowed the judges with her grace, wit, and confidence.
But she lacks facial beauty and despite her statuesque build, Sheroma might as well enjoy her remaining few days in So Paulo.
Miss Cayman Islands, Cristin Alexander. Cayman Islands has never placed in Miss Universe, although it did win the Miss Congeniality award twice (1980, 1982).Representatives from this country, generally speaking, lack the intense preparation enjoyed by other Caribbean countries, but Cristin has proven herself to be an exception.
The nearly six-foot tall beauty has one of the best pair of legs in the competition, and she reminds me so much of a young Carol Gist, a former Miss USA who placed second in Miss Universe 1990.
Cristin came prepared to win the first universal crown for her country, but shes got stiff competition from the likes of Aruba, Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
Miss Curaao, Evalina Van Putten. Evalinas story is very interesting. She was not the original winner of the Miss Curaao 2011 crown which was won by Monifa Jansen, but Miss Universe officials did not accept Monifas candidacy because she does not meet the minimum age requirement of 18 (Monifa is only 17).Monifa had to relinquish her title to Evalina who was her first runner-up.
Like Aruba, Curaao almost won Miss Universe in 1968 with Anne Marie Braafheids stellar performance (she was beaten just by a few points by Martha Vasconcellos of Brazil).
Evalina's biggest assets include her statuesque height, her vibrant personality, her outstanding communication skills, and her impeccable sense of style. As part of her preparations for Miss Universe, she spent considerable time in Venezuela where she was trained by a team of beauty experts. She also opted to have cosmetic surgery.
Since she arrived in So Paulo, she instantly became the darling of the Brazilian media. As much as Evalina is popular and charismatic, she lacks the oozing sex appeal of Miss Bahamas, Anastagia Pierre or Miss Dominican Republic, Dalia Fernandez.
Whatever the outcome may be on September 12, Evalina has been an outstanding ambassador of her beautiful island country and she is well-loved by the other candidates.
Miss Dominican Republic, Dalia Fernandez. This 21-year-old student of psychology will attempt to win the second crown for her country since Amelia Vegas victory in 2003. Dalias dark, sexy and sultry looks are definitely her biggest assets. She also has legs to die for and a fierce catwalk!My only concern is that she lacks the X factor that Amelia or the previous Dominican delegates from 2008 until 2010 had. To me, shes a veritable dark horse, but Osmel Sousa, the legendary director of Venezuelan queens, thinks otherwise; he considers Dalia as a fierce competitor of Miss Venezuela for the crown.
Miss Haiti, Anedie Azael. Haiti came close to winning Miss Universe in 1975 when Gerthie David placed second to Finlands Anne Pohtamo.Due to the countrys long political and economic instability, Haitis participation in Miss Universe has been minimal.
Anedie seems to be following the footsteps of her predecessor, Sarodj Bertin, Miss Haiti 2010, who was the first Haitian representative since Glaphyra Jean-Louis in 1989. Both Sarodj and Anedie are professional models who speak fluent English, which gives them a huge advantage over past Haitian queens who only spoke Creole.
But unlike Sarodji who had the privilege to be part of the promotional tour and who received much recognition due to the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti on January 12, 2010, Anedie is getting far less attention in Brazil despite her infectious personality as revealed in her personal YouTube videos. I think shes in Brazil not to compete but to enjoy every moment of the pageant.
Miss Jamaica, Shakira Martin. Last year, Jamaica sent a strong representative in the person of Yendi Phillips who placed second to eventual winner Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.This year, Jamaica sent a rather lackluster candidate perhaps one of the weakest Jamaican delegates in the history of the pageant.
Twenty-five-year-old New York-born Shakira has big shoes to fill, and only a miracle can catapult her to the finals.
Miss Puerto Rico, Viviana Ortiz. I prefer Vivianas look much better when she won her national title last November. She evoked a rare combination of mystery and sensuality then, but this rarity gradually dissipated in the course of her preparations for Miss Universe.Now, she looks rather tense, gaunt, and uninteresting. Far from being your typical, generic Latin beauty, Viviana is expressive and colorful as evidenced by her playful poses in Strike a Pose video. But I feel that there is something that is holding back Viviana from realizing her full potential and I am not sure what it is exactly.
If Lady Luck is on Vivianas side, she may very well make the cut. She rocked both the evening gown and swimsuit preliminaries.
Miss St. Lucia, Joy-Ann Biscette. If I were to describe Joy-Ann's beauty in one word, I would borrow Kimora Lee Simmons's famous coined phrase, "fabulosity."Joy-Ann is not new in pageantry; she was St. Lucia's representative to Miss World 2008. Critics protested when she won Miss St. Lucia Universe 2011, claiming that she's arrogant and condescending. Even if she is, so what? She won the title fair and square, and now she has a huge task ahead of her.
In the preliminaries, she proved to her critics that she could be just as competitive as the heavy hitters. She was radiant and had excellent stage projection. Now it depends on the judges whether they liked her stellar performance or not.
Miss Trinidad & Tobago, Gabrielle Walcott. "Gabby," as her friend call her, is one of the fiercest competitors from the Caribbean. Gabby is one of two queens in the Caribbean who have had the privilege of representing their respective countries in Miss World 2008 (the other is Joy-Ann Biscette) where Gabby placed third.When she competed in Miss World, Gabby looked rather demure and homely, despite being one of the most articulate contestants. Three years later, Gabby transformed herself into a veritable pin-up girl who exudes confidence, passion and ambition. And when she competes, boy, she knows how to compete!
However, her age might be a detriment; at 27, critics think she's too old for Miss Universe. Brook Lee, who was 26 when she won in 1997, is considered as the oldest Miss Universe in history. Will the judges look beyond age and see Gabby's potential as a winner? We can only hope so.
Miss Turks & Caicos, Easher Parker. Turks & Caicos has been consistently sending delegates to Miss Universe but has rarely placed. It's best performance was when Carmelita Ariza made the semifinals in 1987. The country also won the Miss Congeniality award twice (1989,1992).Pageant fans consider representatives from this island nation as nothing more than "fillers" - but unless the pageant industry in the country does a radical turnabout - as in the case of the Bahamas or Aruba - we will continue to see mediocre and underprepared representatives. Could Easher break this rather discouraging trend?
At 19 years of age, Easher is not only beautiful but also sophisticated. Her interests include the visual arts, comedy and fashion - three disciplines in which a Miss Universe is expected to engage. Her short stature is her biggest downfall, and she faces harsh competition from the more pageant-experienced contestants.
Miss U.S. Virgin Islands Alexandrya Evans. Alexandrya competed in the Miss Illinois USA 2011 pageant where she ended up as a semifinalist . After competing in Miss Illinois USA, Alexandrya decided to leave Chicago to pursue her dream of becoming Miss Universe.She returned to St. Croix where she is originally from and signed up for Miss U.S.V.I. 2011 title which she won in June. The rest is history.
Even though she had an above-average performance in the preliminaries last Thursday, Alexandrya lacks the international appeal that the judges are looking for in a winner. At best, she can be an excellent ambassador of goodwill for U.S.V.I. - which I'm sure she is - and make new friends to last a lifetime.
There you go. My assessment of each of the Caribbean beauty competing in Miss Universe 2011 pageant. They are all beautiful in their own way, and whatever the results will be on Monday, there's no doubt that each one of them has been an outstanding representative of her country.
I wish them all the best of luck! Watch the pageant live from So Paulo, Brazil on September 12 on NBC. Check your local listing for the exact times.
Links:
www.missuniverse.com
www.criticalbeauty.com
Pictures copyright Miss Universe Organization
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