Venezuela Tale of Beauty and the Best

WHEN Venezuelans sit down to watch their national beauty pageant on TV Wednesday night, they'll see a bevy of women who have been snipped, carved, and molded into what their handlers, often male, regard as the perfect woman.

Venezuela is the beauty-queen capital of the world. Although its 21 million people make up just 0.3 percent of the world's population, Venezuela has churned out three Miss Universes and four Miss Worlds in the last 15 years, outpacing any other nation that sends women to such contests.

Its success is the result of an industry that knows what contest judges want and how to remodel women to create it.

In a country where feminism has barely left a mark, as many as 90 percent of Venezuelans are said to watch the televised show.

Personal appearance is highly prized in this Latin American country. Even the poorest women from the slums can scrape together enough money for the latest shade of lipstick. As one of the world's largest consumers of cosmetics per capita, Venezuela revolves around women's beauty.

Since the formation of the Miss Venezuela Academy in 1981, run under the watchful eye of founder Osmel Sousa, a Venezuelan candidate has usually placed among the top three contestants in both Miss Universe and Miss World contests.

Using night clubs, supermarkets, the beach, and even bus lines as spotting grounds for potential beauty queens, Mr. Sousa is always on the lookout for new faces.

Experience as an art director has taught Sousa to assess instantly if a girl has what it takes to compete for a major beauty title.

"I look for something that hits me - a girl who is sweet, smooth, is neither aggressive nor strong, but must be positive. She must have a bit of the actress about her," he says.

Given Venezuela's dazzling racial mix that includes Caribbean, indigenous Latin American, and European features, Sousa has a head start when it comes to the creation of a beauty queen. Taking what he calls his "rough diamonds," he works with this raw material, molding and polishing it in a factory-like process to generate a new winner.

From wobbly walk ...

One eager hopeful competing for the crown of Miss Venezuela is Lorena Loreto. Six months ago, she wobbled onto a shabby catwalk in high-heeled shoes during an amateur casting session.

A small team of prying professionals, greeted her. Their interest was akin to that shown by farmers at a cattle market.

"Do you go to the gym?" queried Sousa, kneading the muscles on her leg. At the same time, a plastic surgeon examined her face, running his fingers over her features. "Look at her chin - it juts out!" he cried gleefully as he handed her his business card - her passport to the world of beauty.

The chosen few go through a rigorous six-month training period including personal-appearance classes, elocution lessons, modeling sessions, and three-hour daily gym workouts. As the self-acclaimed "King of Beauty" says, "I run a business that is based on team work - it's a very professional industry."

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