Who Will Be the 69th Miss Universe?

In this age of social media savvy & advocacy- driven campaigns, of political correctness, tolerance & diversity, pageantry has redefined its aims and purpose.

On the eve of the crowning of the 69th Miss Universe, we will remind everyone how the search has evolved into something that is more than just sashes, stilettos, swimwear and satorial sensations. 

For one, Miss Universe has dropped the words beauty pageant and in its stead, the word competition is now used. Today, it takes more than just physical allure to take home the crown. One has to be a smart, relatable empowered advocate.

From uber gorgeous glamazons, Miss Universe is now on the lookout for authentic ladies who can be inspirational models and advocacy spokespersons.

From 74 ladies, the all- female selection committee will trim down the field the field to the top 20 based on their preliminary swimsuit and gown performances and the closed door panel interview. They will be joined by the Fan Vote winner for a total of 21 semifinalists.

MY TOP TWENTY FIVE

So based on social media hype, my gut feel and pageant fans' support, here are the 25 ladies who will duke it out for the crown;

BRAZIL

CANADA

COLOMBIA

COSTA RICA

CURACAO

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

FRANCE

ICELAND

INDIA

INDONESIA

JAMAICA

MEXICO

MYANMAR

NEPAL

NICARAGUA

PERU

PHILIPPINES

PUERTO RICO

ROMANIA

RUSSIA

SOUTH AFRICA

THAILAND

USA

VENEZUELA

VIETNAM

So who are leading among these topnotch ladies?

After seeing the girls during the presentation show, viewing their intro videos and checking their videos and photos at the Net, here are the girls who I think will be the strong contenders for the crown:

MY SENSATIONAL SIX

Puerto Rico & Mexico

India & Peru

Thailand & Philippines 

The Miss Universe competition is easily the biggest and most popular international beauty competition but I have a concern about its predictability especially the last decade. 

Every year, the same countries have been making the cut. Nowadays, you have to factor in the pageant's popularity in home countries and potential business partnership. 

Some of the standouts from this year's batch like the girls from Nepal, Myanmar, Romania and Nicaragua might not make it simply because they have weak sashes. It would be a pleasant surprise if we have new countries making it to the semifinals starting this year. 

MY MISS UNIVERSE 2020

With an all- female selection committee, Puerto Rico would be a frontrunner for the crown. She may look a bit mature for some, but she has a charming and non-threatening beauty that would sit well with a panel of female achievers. 

Plus she does have great speaking skills, sounds natural and unrehearsed, and radiates that quiet elegance and self-assuredness that one acquires with age and experience. Qualities that would endear her to the panel of women achievers and fellow contestants.

My Miss Universe 2020

Estefania Soto

Puerto Rico 

Good luck ladies and may the best girl in the universe win!