CARACAS, (AFP) -"It's not true that we only eat celery all day," said Eliana Calicchia, a finalist in the Miss Venezuela beauty contest, famed both for its strict rules and production of world-renowned beauties.
"There are sacrifices and sometimes you wish you could eat something, but then you think of the positive side," said Calicchia ahead of Thursday's final, where the latest queen was selected from 28 slender, short-listed hopefuls.
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| Vanessa Goncalvez (R) reacts after being crowned Miss Venezuela 2010 during the beauty pageant in Maracaibo. REUTERS |
Venezuela has long been a beauty factory -- it has six Miss Universe titles which make it almost level with the United States overall, even though with only 26 million people it has less than one tenth of America's population.
Behind the South American nation's success is the Miss Venezuela franchise and its determined president, Osmel Sousa, who proudly supports cosmetic surgery.
Sousa, who has been at the helm since 1981, decides changes in weight, hair, make-up and teeth for each of the 28 finalists as well as the "errors of nature" which need to be corrected with surgery -- financed by the competition organizers.
"This is a contest of beauty, not of naturalness," Sousa told AFP.
In one of the world's most beauty-obsessed countries, the Miss Venezuela competition each year attracts more than 7,000 women prepared to reduce their waistlines, go under the scalpel and follow tough fitness programs in what Sousa calls an "almost military" regime.
"You need a lot of conviction to do this," said Isabel Castillo, one finalist. "The heels are the worst. I'm used to them but after a while I can't feel my feet," said Axel Lopez, a 20-year-old graphic designer practicing her catwalk moves with the other 27 candidates. |
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