When Miss World 2014 Came to Town

Even if she jetted in as unobtrusively as possible & without the usual fanfare, the Philippines still caught wind of reigning 2014 Miss World Rolene Strauss’ recent visit to the country.

Miss World  charms the Philippine media

The very regal & sophisticated beauty who came with Miss World Organization Chairperson Julia Morley was here for the blessing & opening of the Beauty with a Purpose (BWAP) project of the Miss World Organization for the ward of the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Department of the Philippine General Hospital.

Even if Miss World 2014’s visit was a very short one, it was more than enough for her to captivate a lot of Filipinos. Some of the memorable activities that were squeezed into the tight schedule were the reunion with Miss World 2013 Megan Young & Miss World Philippines 2014 Valerie Weigmann & a dinner to celebrate the Chinese New Year!

Miss World Reunion: Valerie, Rolene & Megan

SEEING DOUBLE? Miss World 2013 Megan Young & Miss World 2014 Rolene Strauss

It might have been a very fleeting encounter with Miss World 2014 but the memories will linger for quite some time

Thank you Miss World 2014!

Megan Young's Victorious Homecoming

And here are more photos from the victorious homecoming of Megan Young, our first Miss World 

The whole country gave her a welcome that was fit for a queen

We are indeed very grateful and very proud of Megan for lifting up our image across the globe and for giving us something to smile about after the series of bad news that greeted our nation

The rain showers and the threat of a typhoon did not deter our countrymen from turning out in the streets not only to welcome home and to catch a glimpse of the lovely, smart and well- grounded Filipina who has become the latest pride of the Philippines in the global arena of beauty, brains & breeding

Websites and online newspapers from around the world were amazed at the warm welcome and celebration that we bestowed on Megan Young

Welcome Home Megan!

Photo Credits:

Dennis Natividad

Schierwyn Estrada Santos

Miriam Cortez Cabarles 

Sunmark Retiro Alonsabe

Miss World Organization 

Copyright infringement not intended

The Philippines Welcomes Home Miss World

A grateful and very proud nation welcomed home its very first Miss World

From the moment she arrived at the airport to the press conference and to the homecoming parade, thousands of Filipinos came to cheer her name

The rains didn’t stop our kababayans from coming out in droves and line up the streets to catch a glimpse of Megan Young as her float passed through Buendia- Ayala--Edsa- and the Mall of Asia. The one kilometer parade was organized and overseen by MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino

In a country that adores and worships its beauty queens, Megan Young burst into tears of happiness after being overwhelmed with the warm welcome given to her

Thank you again Megan for bringing some good news and for giving us something to be proud of as Filipinos

Coming Up: More Photos from the Parade

Photo Credits:

Dennis Natividad

Schierwyn Estrada Santos

Miriam Cortez Cabarles 

Sunmark Retiro Alonsabe

Miss World Organization 

Ms. Kiki Håkansson: the First Miss World

Our very own Megan Young has been in the spotlight since she was crowned the latest Miss World. 

She has been under intense media scrutiny for the past few days which is certainly a far cry from the publicity that came with the contest 62 years ago.  

She is the newest toast of the town but are many of you familiar or even know who was the first Miss World?

Perhaps, you might be wondering who was the first Miss World winner and what were the circumstances surrounding the pageant that time.

But before that, here’s a brief backgrounder on how the pageant came about

DID YOU KNOW THAT 

The London- based Miss World Pageant was originally intended to be a one- time event? 

It was aimed at generating publicity & attracting more audiences and visitors to the quite conservative & traditional Festival of Britain back in 1951.

 Eric Morley & wife Julia

Thanks to the marketing and promotional savvy of Eric Morley, it was a rousing success. The first edition of the pageant gathered 26 of the “world’s most beautiful women”

The following year, , when Eric Morley found out that the United States were organizing a Miss Universe contest, he successfully convinced his bosses to continue the Miss World contest.

 Mr. Eric Morley takes a closer look

Since then, there has been no turning back for the world’s oldest international pageant. 

It has been attracting 2.5 billion viewers in 155 countries, has franchises in over 130 countries including Cory Quirino’s Miss World Philippines franchise

This year’s pageant alone attracted the highest record number of candidates ever with 127 girls and was telecast to an estimated 1.2 billion viewers worldwide  

 first Miss World Kerstin "Kiki" Håkansson


 

MEET THE FIRST MISS WORLD  

The first titleholder was Miss Sweden, Kerstin "Kiki" Håkansson, born 1929. She won her title in 1951 that was held in Lyceum Ballroom in London .  She was the first and only winner to be crowned in a bikini or two piece

 Kiki waves to fans

Kiki also reigned for the longest period in Miss World history: 475 days (almost 16 months) from the time she was crowned on 29 July 1951 in London, United Kingdom.

She died in 2011 at the age of 82