Perla El-Helou crowned Miss Lebanon 2017
The 22-year-old business administration graduate beat off competition from 14 other contestants to succeed 2016 title holder, Sandy Tabet.
Having made it to the final five, El-Helou was asked: “In your opinion, can civil society protest movements change the reality of Lebanon?”
She replied that “protesters should first agree on the objectives to be achieved in order to ensure the effectiveness of their movement.”
It was clearly a winning answer as the brunette from Baabda managed to beat Jana Sader, Sabine Najem and Reem Khoury, who were the three runners-up.
In a show hosted by LBC’s Dima Sadek, the fate of the contestants was in the hands of an eclectic group of judges made up of Harout Fazlian, head of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lebanon; Kristina Bazan, international blogger; Fady El-Khatib, basketball player; and Ibrahim Maalouf, trumpeter and composer.
Sandy Tabet was Miss Lebanon of 2016. Tabet was selected by a jury of nine Lebanese personalities from diverse fields, including designer Zuhair Murad, actress Adriana Karembeu, and Richard Pharaon, CEO of entertainment company We-Group.
The 20-year-old Tabet was born in Bhamdoun but now lives in Antelias and studied at Universite Saint-Joseph. In her opening statement, she expressed her passion for helping children with autism.
Every year, the Miss Lebanon pageant takes on a new format with a new number of contestants. The pageant has taken the form of a one-night gala, several primes, and even reality television.
The winner of Miss Lebanon represents her country at the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify (due to age) for either contest, a runner-up is sent. Previously, in some instances, the winner has also competed at the Miss International pageant.
DUBAI: Meet the newly crowned Miss Lebanon 2017, Perla El-Helou, who believes that protest movements work better if they first agree on shared objectives.