I have known other Venezuelans very proud of their record of Miss Universes and Miss Worlds. But it certainly seems like a very old fashioned pursuit. My mother entered contests in the 1950s and my friend in the 1980s. It doesn't see very much like a contemporary challenge. Even todays Miss Americas who receive college scholarships probably spend a fortune on their hair, makeup, gowns, elocution lessons, and tooth veneers, etc.