THE 1950'S
Miss World was created in 1951, Miss Universe came to life one year later, in 1952. The 1950's was a decade of glamour, when beauty often associated with the stunning looks of Hollywood's hottest stars. The idea of gathering several international beauties competing to be declared "fairest of them all" wasn't new, but for the first time such competitions grabbed enough public and media attention to guarantee their continuation. Let's now review the top 10 countries in the Grand Slam of Beauty Pageants from 1951 to 1959 and find out who were the dominant female beauty powerhouses when it all began:
1951
| 1 |
|
Sweden |
40.00 |
| 2 |
|
United Kingdom |
38.00 |
COUNTRY OF THE YEAR:
SWEDEN
A Swedish beauty became the first Miss World and the first Grand Slam titleholder in the history of beauty pageants. Since all other 4 Miss World finalists were British that year, the United Kindom came next, with the points earned by the first runner-up.
1952
| 1 |
|
Sweden |
106.00 |
| 2 |
|
Finland |
74.00 |
| 3 |
|
Germany |
68.00 |
| 4 |
|
Hawaii |
38.00 |
| 4 |
|
Switzerland |
38.00 |
| 4 |
|
United Kingdom |
38.00 |
| 7 |
|
Greece |
36.00 |
| 8 |
|
Hong Kong |
34.00 |
| 9 |
|
Mexico |
26.00 |
| 9 |
|
South Africa |
26.00 |
| 9 |
|
Uruguay |
26.00 |
| 9 |
|
United States |
26.00 |
COUNTRY OF THE YEAR:
FINLAND
The Grand Slam Ranking started shaping up: with the first Miss Universe in history and a fourth place in Miss World, Finland had the best performance of the year. Overall though, Sweden managed to remain on the top with its back-to-back Miss World victory and a Miss Universe semifinalist. Germany did well in both pageants and came into the ranking strong.
1953
| 1 |
|
Sweden |
106.00 |
| 2 |
|
Germany |
89.00 |
| 3 |
|
France |
80.00 |
| 4 |
|
Finland |
74.00 |
| 5 |
|
Greece |
74.00 |
| 6 |
|
United States |
64.00 |
| 7 |
|
Mexico |
60.00 |
| 8 |
|
South Africa |
47.00 |
| 8 |
|
Uruguay |
47.00 |
| 9 |
|
Hawaii |
38.00 |
| 9 |
|
Switzerland |
38.00 |
| 9 |
|
United Kingdom |
38.00 |
COUNTRY OF THE YEAR:
FRANCE
Superb! That's how 1953 can be described for France, who won both Miss World and Miss Universe, being named Country of the Year with a 100% perfect performance. France entered the top 10 in 3rd place. Although Swedish beauties were virtually ignored by the judges in 1953, the Scandinavian country had accumulated enough points in previous years to remain on the top for the third straight year.
1954
| 1 |
|
Germany |
155.00 |
| 2 |
|
United States |
142.00 |
| 3 |
|
Sweden |
138.00 |
| 4 |
|
France |
135.00 |
| 5 |
|
Greece |
131.00 |
| 6 |
|
Egypt |
76.00 |
| 7 |
|
Finland |
74.00 |
| 8 |
|
Hong Kong |
70.00 |
| 9 |
|
Uruguay |
68.00 |
| 10 |
|
Mexico |
60.00 |
COUNTRY OF THE YEAR:
UNITED STATES
1954 was an important year for the United States. With a Miss Universe and a Miss World's first runner-up, it jumped from 6th to 2nd place in the Grand Slam Ranking and was declared "Country of the Year" for the first of several times. Germany, with runner-ups in both pageants, assumed 1st overall position. Egypt became the first dominantly Muslim country to win a grand slam title (Miss World) and was 6th in the ranking. Uruguay surpassed Mexico and became Latin America's #1 power in beauty pageants.
1955
| 1 |
|
Sweden |
210.00 |
| 2 |
|
United States |
201.00 |
| 3 |
|
Germany |
189.00 |
| 4 |
|
Greece |
167.00 |
| 5 |
|
France |
165.00 |
| 6 |
|
Egypt |
76.00 |
| 7 |
|
Finland |
74.00 |
| 8 |
|
Ceylon |
70.00 |
| 8 |
|
Hong Kong |
70.00 |
| 10 |
|
Japan |
68.00 |
| 10 |
|
Uruguay |
68.00 |
COUNTRY OF THE YEAR:
SWEDEN
In 1955 Sweden had its first Miss Universe and placed in 5th in Miss World, which was enough to put it back on the top of the ranking, as well as being named "Country of the Year" for the 2nd time. Ceylon (today's Sri Lanka) entered the top 10 in 8th place after placing in 3rd in Miss Universe and having a semifinalist in Miss World. The top 5 kept a considerable distance from the rest of the bunch, and the battle for first place promised to become even more exciting in the second half of the decade.
THE 1950's CONTINUES HERE...
Find pageants' full results at PAGEANTOPOLIS & JIMMY'S PAGEANT PAGE!
BACK
