Beauty queen from slum is crowned Miss Venezuela

Girls in her crime-ridden shanty-town want to emulate her, Rodriguez says

The title of Miss Venezuela went to a woman from the country’s largest slum after a ceremony that traded glitz for frugality reflecting an acute economic free fall.

The new beauty queen in a country that loves this kind of pageant is Isabella Rodriguez, 25, from a Caracas shantytown called Petare — home to well over half a million people.

“From Petare to the world, dreams can in fact come true,” Rodriguez, who works as a model, said during the question and answer session of the contest. Girls in her crime-ridden slum want to emulate her, she added. With the organisers seeking to cut costs, the 65th edition of the pageant was moved from its historic home at an arena with room for 20,000 people to a 200seat television studio.

The economic crisis meant much of the glamour had to go this year, and some of the contestants have been turning up to rehearsals by bus or metro.

Rodriguez will represent Venezuela at the Miss World pageant, where Venezuelans have an envious track record, sharing with India the record for the most victories, six.