GABRIELA ISLER’S ADVICE FOR ASPIRING QUEENS: BE ‘CONFIDENT’ AND ‘REAL’

MANILA, Philippines – Right when the Philippines was experiencing typhoon Yolanda in November 2013, Venezuela’s Gabriela Isler was crowned Ms Universe 2013 in Moscow, Russia.

Less than a year later, months into her reign as Ms Universe, Gabriela is visiting the Philippines not only to serve as one of the judges in the Bb Pilipinas coronation night on March 30, but also to raise awareness for rebuilding efforts in typhoon-hit areas.

This is in cooperation with Cordaid, a Dutch development agency that Miss Universe Organization president Paula Shugart told media was focused on the long-term, with several projects centered on women and children – also a key focal point of Gabriela’s projects as Ms Universe.

MISS UNIVERSE AND CORDAID JOIN FORCES TO HELP PHILIPPINES

The Miss Universe Organization and Cordaid join forces to “build back better” in the Philippines after devastation wrought by typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).

The Miss Universe Organization and Dutch development agency, Cordaid, have partnered to create a global fund that will raise awareness and money for regions of the Philippines struggling to recover in the wake of typhoon Haiyan, locally known as typhoon Yolanda. The two international organizations will call attention to the needs of projects that are essential for the country’s recovery long after the emergency relief period has ended.

“The Philippines is home to our biggest and most passionate fan base, which is so meaningful to the Miss Universe family,” explains Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization. “The country was hit by Yolanda the night before our 2013 Miss Universe telecast and together with Cordaid, we will raise awareness and funds for long term recovery aid to build, and rebuild, flourishing communities,” adds Shugart.
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5 Time-Tested Beauty Secrets from an Octogenarian Pageant Queen

by KRISTEN MASCIA

At the conclusion of the 2013 Ms. Senior Sweetheart Pageant, one of the country’s only beauty contests for ladies over 65, Rita Ann Battram, 86, doubted she’d won the crown. Although she nailed the talent competition with a dance routine that—hip replacement be darned—ended with a show-stopping straddle, then charmed the judges during the panel interview (“I might be blind in one eye and I don’t see well with the other, but I’m 86, and I’m going to keep going!” she said), when the emcee read aloud the names of the first few runners up, Battram’s wasn’t called. So when the emcee went on to announce that Battram had won, “my mouth dropped open,” says the great-grandmother of 26 from Kent, Wash. “I had tears, happy tears. I couldn’t believe it was true.”

For Battram and dozens of other silver-haired ladies from all over the country, competing in Fall River, Mass.’s annual Ms. Senior Sweetheart Pageant is a thrill beyond compare. In "Pretty Old", a new documentary available for streaming on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Direct TV and other platforms (see trailer below), filmmaker Walter Matteson went behind the scenes at the quirky competition to reveal just how talented and special Ms. Senior Sweetheart’s contestants are.Parade caught up with the reigning champ to find out how it felt to win, and how she stays beautiful—inside and out.

Congrats on the win! How does it feel?It’s awesome! My kids—I have five—they’re always saying “awesome.” I love it. I never thought I’d win. They gave me a beautiful tiara, just beautiful. I never thought I’d have one.

Did you think you had a good chance at becoming a finalist?The first time I was in the pageant, in 2008, I was so nervous. This time, I thought, “At my age, I’m not gonna make it!” so I relaxed, and that helped. After I won, I heard that the judges said my talent cinched it. I’ve danced all my life: I taught everything—tap, jazz, ballet, belly dancing—but my signature has always been my splits and my hula. Well, I had a hip replacement three years ago, so I thought, “What else can I do besides a split that no other 86-year-old can do?” So I sat down and put my legs out and touched my head to the floor. The judges got a kick out of that!

Ms. Senior Sweetheart’s 5 Time-Tested Beauty Tips:

1. Stay positiveThere have been a lot of trials and tribulations in my life, but I’ve always thought my glass was more than half full. I’m blind in one eye, and had a cornea transplant when I was 55 in the other. A year later, I could see 20/13. I was so grateful. I had a lot of faith that that would happen. I’ve always had a good outlook.

2. Keep movingI dance every day for about a half-hour, and at Radcliffe Place Senior Apartments, where I live, I teach ladies exercise—sit-down exercise. I choreograph shows for them, and we put on performances. Right now I’m planning one for Easter.

3. Take good care of your skin—and work those facial muscles!I used Cindy Crawford’s Meaningful Beauty line and had so many compliments from the gals at the pageant. They were all saying, “Have you had a facelift?” I said, “No, but thank you!” In the morning, before I put on my makeup, I also rub Neutrogena Body Oil and water on my face and neck. For my foundation I use Clinique. Heaven, I’ve been using it for 20 years! I also do facial exercises, just tightening, then relaxing, the muscles in my neck, cheeks and forehead.

4. Laugh as much as you canEvery day, for dinner, I sit at a table with six other women. These women are 98, 94, 88—I’m the youngest one! I tell them, “We’re the magnificent seven!” I think we could run the world together. You have a different attitude about life when you have good friends. We have a great time.

5. Spend time with a loving companionI lost my husband, Harry, recently. We would have been married 45 years next month, but it was a blessing: He had Parkinson’s and dementia and was in a lot of pain. He used to be an excellent softball player. When we moved from Michigan, we gave away over 200 of his trophies. He was a pitcher and was on all these teams and won all sorts of awards and traveled to many tournaments. He always encouraged my dancing, and I always encouraged his softball. He wanted me to win Ms. Senior Sweetheart so bad over the years. He was the first thing I thought of when I won. Now, I feel his presence real strong. I think he’s looking down on me.

Former Miss Universe gets bloody, hog-tied to spotlight socialist Maduro’s violence

By Douglas Ernst

She won Miss Venezuela in 2008 and Miss Universe 2009, and now she’s winning the hearts and minds of Venezuelan protesters standing in opposition to socialist President Nicolas Maduro. Stefania Fernandez Krupij’s beautiful visage has been turned into a bloody, hog-tied and disheveled version of her former self for a social media campaign aimed at spotlighting the Maduro regime’s violent crackdown on opposition protesters.

Clashes between the socialist president’s forces and opposition protesters in Venezuela have been going on for weeks in reaction to high inflation, shortages of basic goods and an anemic economy. Since opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was taken into custody Feb. 18 on terrorism charges, clashes with the socialist regime have resulted in numerous deaths, one opposition mayor arrested and another jailed for the next 10 months. On Tuesday, three members of the Venezuelan Air Force were arrested for conspiring against the government, Business Insider reported.

Opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez condemned the “shameful silence” of leaders from across Latin America toward human rights abuses being carried by “paramilitary groups” loyal to Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro. “The [Organization of American States], which represents nations in the Western Hemisphere, has abstained from any real leadership on the current crisis of human rights and the looming specter of a failed state, even though it was formed precisely to address issues like these,” Mr. Lopez wrote in an op-ed published in Tuesday’s New York Times.