Miss Universe: Before and After - AOL Latino Entretenimiento

Beauty Queens Before and After

By AOL Latino

Despite some criticism they may generate, beauty pageants are still very much alive and popular these days, as they were six decades ago when they first became a massive event. There's no doubt that a toned body waving gracefully to the crowd has opened many doors to those girls who have obtained the title of the prettiest woman in the world. Whether it's a career in show business, politics or as businesswomen, a lot of the beauty queens wouldn't have had those opportunities if it weren't for the pageant. Now that we celebrate the 56 years of Miss Universe, let's see what has become of several of the queens ...

Miss Universe Before and After

Dayanara Torres
Country: Puerto Rico
Miss Universe 1993

A trip to her local mall changed her life. After getting a makeover, going from blonde to brunette and getting her braces removed in order to win the Miss Puerto Rico title, she represented the island in the pageant and Dayanara became the third Puerto Rican Miss Universe. She was also one of the winners that traveled the most, which meant more earnings for the corporation.

Jeff Robbins, AP

Dayanara Torres
After giving back her crown in the Philippines in 1994, Dayanara stayed in that country, where she found success as a singer and actress. She came back to Puerto Rico in 1998, where she failed to continue her singing career, so she created a doll of herself. In 2000, she married singer Marc Anthony and two sons. During this time, the beauty queen put her career on hold. When the couple divorced in 2004, she went back to modelling and as a spokeswoman for several products. She had bit roles in 'The Young and the Restless' and 'Watch Over Me'. She currently resides in Los Angeles, still trying to make it as an actress.

Rodolfo Michel, WireImage.com

Lupita Jones
Country: México
Miss Universe 1992

Her birth certificate says María Guadalupe Jones Garay, but the first Mexican Miss Universe is known as Lupita Jones. Even though she won the swimsuit and night gown competition, Lupita impressed the judges with her clever answers during the final questions.

MissUniverse.com

Lupita Jones
In 1994 she created the Nuestra Belleza México pageant for the selection of girls competing in Miss Universe and Miss World. In 1999, the pageant began supporting victims of domestic violence and the year after she became a spokeswoman. The successful businesswoman has also been accused of arranging the results in the pageants, but this has never been proven.

Clasos / jpistudios.com

Alicia Machado
Country: Venezuela
Miss Universe 1996

She won the crown by age 19 in Las Vegas beginning quite an interesting year, particularly when she gained weight and Donald Trump, owner of the pageant, publically humiliated her by making her work out in front of the media to prove her commitment to being fit.

Eric Draper, AP

Alicia Machado
The scandals didn't end there. She starred in some 'telenovelas': "Samantha", "Infierno en el Paraíso" and "Secreto de amor", but she gathered more attention for her erratic behavior. After trying out a singing career, Alicia was involved in another scandal in 2005 when she was taped having sex while participating in "La Granja", a Big Brother-style reality show in Spain. This romp ended her engagement to baseball star Bobby Abreu. In 2006, she became the first Miss Universe to pose naked for Playboy Mexico. A few months ago she announced her pregnancy but still has refused to reveal the identity of the father.

AFP / Getty Images

Cecilia Bolocco
Country: Chile
Miss Universe 1987

She'd been studying Engineering for a year when she decided to switch to Design. In 1987, she became the first Chilean queen, during the competition in Singapur.

Cecilia Bolocco
After her reign, she was the host of several successful TV shows in Chile. After her wedding to Michael Young, which received massive coverage, she moved to Atlanta where she began working as a CNN news anchor. Later, she joined Telemundo, fronting several talk shows, even winning an Emmy. She also acted in the 'telenovela' 'Morelia' and was the official host for the Viña del Mar competition for several years. In 2001, she married Carlos Menem, the former Argentinian President. They had a son, Máximo Saúl, but they divorced in 2007 after the surfacing of some topless photos of Cecilia with an Italian playboy.

EFE

Bárbara Palacios
Country: Venezuela
Miss Universe 1986

Daughter of Spanish actor Jorge Palacios, Bárbara Pérez Hernández became the third Venezuelan queen, crowned in Panama in 1986.

MissUniverse.com

Bárbara Palacios
After the crown, she became a popular talk show host and was named Ministry of Tourism in her country. She's founded several marketing and advertising firms and she currently owns 'Barbara Palacios Design', a US-based company of women's products that operates globally. She also owns several stores in several Latin American countries.

Courtesy Barbara Palacios