The reigning Miss Finland Paula Joukanen will represent Finland in the Miss Universe competition, which will be decided on the coming night. Armi Kuusela and Anne Pohtamo have gone down in the competition’s history.
The Miss Universe competition will be decided on the night between Saturday and Sunday. Reigning Miss Finland Paula Joukanen represents Finland in El Salvador.
The now traditional Miss Universum competition started brilliantly from a Finnish perspective, when a Finnish woman was crowned as the winner in 1952.
Do you remember the Finnish Miss Universe winners and their stories?
Armi Kuusela
In 1952, Finland was in the headlines, not least thanks to Armi Kuusela. 17-year-old Armi Kuusela, who was crowned Miss Finland in the Olympic year, was chosen as the most beautiful woman in the world from among 29 participants.
In practice, Kuusela’s participation in the Miss Universe pageant organized in Long Beach, California, was against the rules, as she was a minor.
The lavish prizes included, among other things, a cream-colored convertible and a valuable diamond wristwatch. The prize would also have included a seven-year filming contract with Universal Studios, the film company that organized the competition, but Kuusela did not accept it.
Kuusela’s victory for small Finland, recovering from the war, has been considered a great achievement that boosts the self-esteem of the entire country.
Armi Kuusela had a huge group of fans in front of him when he landed in Finland. IL ARCHIVE
Armi Kuusela was written about in international newspapers. IL ARCHIVE
Now Kuusela is 89 years old. Kuusela later said that the hysteria caused by the Miss Universe victory was an unreasonably difficult experience for her.
Kuusela had five children with a Filipino businessman Virgilio Hilarion with. Hilario died in September 1975 of a heart attack.
Kuusela met an American diplomat by Albert Williamswhom he married in the summer of 1978. The couple traveled the world and settled in California.
Kuusela still avoids publicity.
Armi Kuusela won the beauty contest as a minor. IL archive
This is what swimsuit fashion looked like in 1952. Il archive
Kuusela has rarely visited Finland. In the picture, Kuusela is in his birthplace, Muhos, in 2014. MARKKU ROTTINEN
Anne Pohtamo
Anne Pohtamo is the second Finnish Miss Universe winner. The brightest crown of the competition was printed on the head of 19-year-old Pohtamo in 1975 in El Salvador. At that time, 70 countries participated in the competition. At that time, the number of participants was historically high.
The year 1975 can be considered, at least by some measures, the best pageant year for Finland. The same year Merja Tammi won the Miss International Beauty title.
After his win, Pohtamo stayed in New York for years doing modeling work. The famous miss’s relationship problems and all possible issues interested the press, but Pohtamo did not become a scandal.
Later, Pohtamo returned back to Finland.
Anne Pohtamo was crowned Miss Universe at the age of 19. IL archive
Pohtamo and his youthful love, Arto Hietanen paths crossed again. The couple married in 1980. They had four children.
Later, Pohtamo has been influential in political and religious circles. He has worked as an evangelist. Now Pohtamo is 68 years old.
An exhibition about Pohtamo’s pageant year was put together in Tamminiemi in 2015. In the exhibition, you could admire Pohtamo’s costumes, crown and scepter. IL archive
Anne Pohtamo is currently an evangelist. In the picture, ex-miss in 2015. ATTE KAJOVA