1News presenter Melissa Stokes speaks to New Zealand's first, and only, Miss Universe pageant winner Lorraine Downes.
One of the best things Downes told me about the 1983 Miss Universe Pageant was that she won a Chrysler Lebaron car - a convertible of course - and a speed boat. Both of which she brought back to NZ after her reign. She sold the car, but the speed boat was well used.
For some reason it fills me delight to think of her zipping around on a speedboat she shipped over from America in the 80s.
That's the first thing.
The second also needs to be dealt with up front, because many will mention it. The former Miss Universe, I think, looks just as beautiful as when she took out the crown as a 19-year-old. I'm not sure if she gives me hope, or despair that things won't work out quite as well for us mere mortals.
Regardless, Downes has done a lot with her life and it all started when she headed to America to take to the stage as a contestant in the global Miss Universe Pageant.
The competition brought 80 of the worlds most beautiful women together. It was (and is) a big business.
Essential family viewing, hundreds of millions watched. I have vague memories of seeing the spectacular bedazzled South American countries represented in a flourish of feathers. Downes remembers: "They had make up artists and stylists, a whole sort of group wearing t-shirts with the names of their country on. I was there on my own. "
1News 6pm producer Lucy Wilkinson was an avid teenager viewer, here’s her take.
As a teenager I remember going round to my friend Fiona’s house to watch Miss Universe. It always seemed more glamorous, more flashy than Miss World. Not that we didn’t watch Miss World once in a while but Miss Universe was a party.
Get the chips ready, the diet coke, and the judgement, plenty of judgement.
It wasn’t snark about the personalities or the bodies though, we barely noticed either underneath the dresses and hair. In the 80’s bigger was better on both fronts. "Terrible colour”, “too shiny”, “too dull”, “she doesn’t suit it”, “what on earth… “. We provided our own alternative commentary.
It always began with the introductions and the "national costume". What a giggle-fest that was. Some competitors went all out and you could start your culling almost immediately. The more outlandish the outfit the less chance of making the first cut. The ones who were taking it seriously went for a souped up ballgown.
The first cut was crucial, you didn’t make that and you were just window dressing for the rest of the night.
My favourite section was evening gown. It was next level razzle dazzle. From the sofa watching we picked our winners from the sequin count.
When Downes was competing it was clear from the off she was doing really well. She’s said herself she was thinking "New Zealand’s not going to believe this", and she was right. Even as she was doing so brilliantly I never thought she was actually going to win.
The most beautiful woman in the world, what a bizarre title to bestow. At the time I naively thought these women believed they were something special. When Downes told Stokes entering was an extension of her modelling career, the scales dropped from my 12-year-old eyes. "Of course, these women weren’t stuck up enough to think they were the most beautiful in the entire universe - that would be nuts."
But they had something. Downes nailed it , “confidence” she said. “Do what makes you feel good”. It’s the secret sauce I didn’t have growing up, but the girls watching on the sofa recognised in the young women competing. Somehow it shone through the shoulder pads and the sequins.
Underneath the glitz and the glam, and the undoubted questionable practice of judging a woman’s appearance, it’s what made it appointment viewing.
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