The ‘chubby, weird’ girl who became miss universe
A20-year-old Boston University sophomore and a selfdescribed ‘cellist-nerd’ brought the Miss Universe crown back to the U.S. for the first time in more than a decade when she won the televised contest on Wednesday.
Olivia Culpo beat 88 other beauty queens to take the title from Leila Lopes of Angola during the two-hour competition at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
In a refreshing change, the Miss Universe title, which makes Olivia unequivocally one of the world’s most beautiful women, appears to have been bestowed on a girl with a healthy streak of normality. Following the win, her brother told CBS that she was ‘really chubby and sort of weird when she was younger’ while her father said Olivia was the ‘nerdiest’ of his five children.
Family pictures show Olivia goofing around with friends as she gets pushed along in a shopping cart and playing with her siblings Peter, Gus, Sophia and Aurora. Indeed, her family appears to be taken back by her decision to enter the world of pageants, something they knew nothing about. Olivia won Miss Rhode Island last year while wearing a $20 rental dress. She then became the first Miss USA winner from Rhode Island when she took the national crown in Las Vegas in June. She grew up in Cranston as the middle child of five with two professional musicians for parents, Susan and Peter Culpo. She graduated from St Mary Academy Bay View in 2010 and is a member of the National Honor Society. Her love of Italian led her to spend two summers studying in Milan. The 20-year-old has played the cello alongside world-renowned classical musician Yo-Yo Ma and performed at Carnegie Hall. An American had not won the right to be called Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.
Culpo wore a tight navy blue mini-dress with a sequinned bodice as she walked on stage for the competition’s opening number.
Later in the night, she strutted in a purple and blue bikini, and donned a wintery red velvet gown with a plunging neckline. Her bid lasted through swimsuit, evening wear, and interview competitions that saw cuts after each round. She won over the judges, even after tripping slightly during the evening gown competition. Telecasters pointed it out but also noted her poised recovery.
She told the Today show on Thursday that with the heels and gown she was wearing it was inevitable she tripped and was lucky not to ‘fall flat on her face’. She also said that in her new role as Miss Universe, she would be using her ability to travel internationally to raise awareness of HIV/Aids.