Latina Beauty Pageants & Television Shows

What we think of as modern-day beauty pageants originated in the United States in the 1920s. Since that time, beauty pageants in many Central and South American countries have grown in popularity and become the proving grounds for winners to advance to worldwide competitions including Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International. 

Some of the oldest Latina beauty pageants include the Miss Argentina pageant, Miss Puerto Rico pageant and Miss Venezuela pageant, the latter of which began in 1952. Winners from these three countries have also gone on to place at several Miss Universe events. Miss Puerto Rico has won the Miss Universe contest five times, which more than qualifiers from any other country except the U.S., and Miss Argentina has won these Miss Universe contest four times.

Nuestra Belleza Latina 
Nuestra Belleza Latina, which translates to “Our Latin Beauty” is a reality television show that plays on the Univision Television Network. The Univision Network is the home to the most watched, Spanish-speaking television shows in the United States, reaching over 95% of the Hispanic households in the country.

Nuestra Belleza Latina is hosted by Univision’s popular T.V. personality Giselle Blondet and was created to combine the glamour and competition of a traditional beauty pageant with the excitement of reality T.V.  Each week the contestants on Nuestra Belleza Latina, who hail from both the U.S. and Puerto Rico, have to compete in fierce challenges that were designed to test their determination and character.  

Nuestra Belleza Latina has been on the air for two seasons, with the finale of the second season just recently airing on May 16, 2008. The finale was shot live as viewers from across the country voted on their favorite of the six remaining finalists. The winner of the 2008 season of Nuestra Belleza Latina was Melissa Marty from Puerto Rico who is a kickboxing, ballet and aerobics instructor.  In addition to winning $200,000 worth of cash and prizes, she fulfilled a lifetime dream by winning a contract to become a Univision T.V. personality.  

According to a Univision statement, “Nuestra Belleza Latina will be back next season with more excitement than ever, expanding to two full hours on Sunday nights to bring viewers even more thrills and glamour, with more content than ever before and increased viewer participation.”

The popularity of Nuestra Belleza Latina is likely to promote similar programs that celebrate the talent and beauty of Latinas in the United States as well as other Central and South American countries.