In the 65 years of the Miss Universe pageant, Venezuela has won 7 crowns in it, 6 for Miss World, 2 for Miss Earth, 7 for Miss International, has placed in the top 3 dozens times and has placed in the top 10 close to hundreds times. Let’s face it, when it comes to beauty, we KNOW the business.
So you can imagine that in Venezuela pageants are SO ingrained in our brains and culture that every woman (and many men) know the “perfect measurements” that a contestant must have to get herself a spot in beauty glory: chest 90cm, waist 60cm and hips 90cm and 180cm height. In fact, I would bet a new pair of shoes that many girls learn them before they even know their ABCs.
Yet it wasn’t until I moved out of the country at 21 that I realised how bizarre and crazy this was. I remember talking to a friend back in Argentina and mentioning these “golden ratios” and having her stare back at me looking blank-eyed and puzzled, and ask me what the heck was I talking about and whether I was kidding or not.
As I had the strong realisation that perhaps (and there was a massive question mark here) pageants weren’t a big deal in the rest of the world as they were in Venezuela, suddenly a light bulb went on in my mind and I contemplated that maybe this could mean women were more than beauty queens… and so I jumped into the rabbit hole.
What came next was a journey through the beauty bias I was raised with, as well as the cultural rules and standards of my country, and a constant battle to regain my sense of worth and value as I discovered my own voice.
Let me explain why, as I grew up in “The Country of the Beauty Queens” I also faced my reality and that was that I was obese and when I measured myself to this ideal of beauty and worth, I always came back feeling like I was lacking, broken, unworthy.
So, after decades of dieting and obsessively counting calories to find my value (and I started at 6 years), suddenly I began to question my internal paradigms and ideals and, for the first time, began doing changes that felt more loving towards myself.
On this journey I tried it all. I went Vegan; I tried Atkins, Raw diets and so much more. I had already done a great deal back home, but I was always left empty and lonely, confused and hollow, even when some kilos were shed here or there.
But now it was different. I wanted to know how to fuel my body when the focus was on my worth. I wanted nourishment instead of restrictions, to give me some sense of love… and so I studied nutrition, wellness, empowerment, health, coaching and so much more.
As I learned about these subjects, I felt empowered and powerful, so after jumping towards building a Happily Ever After with my husband, I took a new step in my career and quite my corporate job as Internal Communication Coordinator and went for cooking school, to learn how to create amazingly delicious meals that could heal and nourish clients, friends, loved ones and myself.
I changed my dreams of beauty pageants, crowns and sashes for aprons, pots and knives. I continued learning and growing, exploring more about food and science, biology and psychology, coaching and mindfulness. What started as a revolution against a culture centred in external beauty became a complete new way to live and think, to feel and act. It became my own evolution.
I started teaching others through my practice, cooking with friends and clients, developing recipes completely focused on my reality in Qatar and discovering new flavours around the foods I grew up eating and loving… but without restrictions I could now truly enjoy them.
And now? Let’s say that things are a bit more complicated in my world and the pageant universe.
Yes, I still get a pang of excitement when a Miss Venezuela places well in an international pageant (I might even brag about it!), and I do still love to get dolled up and feeling fab (like tonight), but I now know my value goes beyond that and yet I’m aware that part of this beautiful feminist paradox is knowing that each woman gets to choose the labels they want to carry… and sometimes that could ultimately be Miss Universe!