We've heard it before about fans arguing whether a tall height is a prerequisite in winning the crown or even just entering the Miss Universe semis. There are height requirements at the various national levels of the competition although Miss Universe Organization does not specify any. There is a widespread perception that height is an advantage at international pageants. Surely, it would be awkward to stand quite small in a sea of a much taller delegates. However, it must be noted that the shortest Miss Universe ever is Miss Thailand Apasra Hongsakula who at 5'4" managed to clinch the crown defeating her much taller opponents. We've seen how shorter delegates breeze pass through taller delegates. In 1993, Namrata Shirodkar of India looked way short when she was called in the Top Ten next to the towering Pavlina Barbukova. But it was a case of Davids defeating Goliaths. Namrata made it to the Top 5 while Pavlina was out. Incidentally, Dayanara Torres of Puerto Rico, the winner of the pageant was just an inch higher than Namrata defeating much taller 1st runner-up Colombia and 2nd runner-up Venezuela.
However, things have changed. For example, the tallest delegate ever to win the crown at Miss Universe was crowned this century. At 6'1", Amelia Vega used her height advantage to win the first ever crown for Dominican Republic. Since then, no one won the crown shorter than 5'8". So what would be the chances of the likes of Miss Honduras Jennifer Andrade who stands at 5'2"? The same can be asked about Olivia Culpo who only stands 5'5.5" and who represents a beauty superpower? Well, its difficult to say how it will affect their chances because there are so many aspects of the competition that governs the outcome of the pageant. Olivia is known as a bubbly and charismatic beauty queen who can really stand out onstage. But that was true in her Miss USA days. At Miss Universe, unless the dynamics and trends have changed, the current opinion among missosologists is that height is not merely an advantage but a power.
Do you agree with this observation? Share what you think.
