When Marita Lindahl won the Miss World 1957 crown, she probably felt that her world was turned upside down. True, her victory was a dream came true for any woman but for the 18-year-old Helsinki native, the limelight was a glare too much to handle.
As Miss World, Marita rose into fame but it was something that she had a great deal of reservations. Her images were splashed in numerous magazines and she became a sought after model. She travelled extensively largely because of her Miss World duties and she was fond of United Kingdom. Despite of these, she shied attention. She was a recalcitrant celebrity.
After her reign, Marita slipped into the world of normalcy. She turned down so many projects including films and modelling. Many of these could have made her super rich but for Marita, privacy and family was her priority. She decided to wrap herself in the comfort of austerity.
As the only Finnish woman to have ever won the Miss World crown, Marita Lindahl can be aptly called as a gem of Finland. She has a special place in the Finnish beauty pageant history. But someone who shouldn’t be forgotten by the Finnish people chose to be consigned to oblivion.
Having fought most of her life deflecting the intrusions on her privacy, Marita died still fighting for it. She passed away on March 21, 2017 but it made to the news only this month. Her passing was made public when her husband decided to share his parting letter to a journalist. Ever protective of her life, Marita wanted her death – like most of her life – private.
Ric Galvez/Missosology
