5 things you didn’t know about Miss Universe 2023

• Surprising facts about Miss Universe 2023.
• Jane Dipika Garrett was the first plus-size contestant.
• Marina Machete was the first trans woman to compete.

The 72nd edition of the Miss Universe pageant took place on Saturday, November 18.

This year the competition was held at the National Gymnasium José Adolfo Pineda in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Sheynnis Palacios, Miss Nicaragua and one of the favorites to win, took home the crown, taking the place of R’Bonney Gabriel from the United States.

Nearly two weeks after this unforgettable event, we share five facts about Miss Universe 2023 that may interest you.

The pageant featured the first plus-size contestant in Miss Universe history

Undoubtedly, one of facts about Miss Universe 2023 that caught the most attention was the participation of Miss Nepal.

Jane Dipika Garrett became the first plus-size contestant in the history of this pageant. She is 22 years old.

It is worth noting that she was one of the top 20 semifinalists of the night. She is considered a great representative of body positivity.

«Beauty has no single mold; every woman is beautiful as she is,» said the young woman, who has seen her number of followers grow on social media.

Facts about Miss Universe 2023: A trans beauty queen

Next, we present Marina Machete, a model and transgender beauty queen who represented Portugal in Miss Universe 2023.

Alongside Rikkie Kollé from the Netherlands, she is one of the first trans women to compete in the history of this pageant, making it to the top 20 semifinalists.

For this reason, Marina gained the support of thousands of people who followed the pageant on social media.

Finally, Miss Portugal was recognized for having one of the best performances of the night. In October, she turned 28 years old.

Miss China missed out on the competition

Another fact about Miss Universe 2023 that will be remembered for a long time is what happened with Miss China, Qi Jia.

According to Hola!, she was excluded from the competition because she arrived late to the event.

It turns out that even though she was already in San Salvador, El Salvador, she arrived three days before the pageant and did not meet certain requirements.

In short, she did not receive her visa on time. Fortunately, she already has secured her place in Miss Universe 2024, which will take place in Mexico.

Athenea Pérez won Miss Congeniality

Of Spanish and African descent, Athenea Pérez became the first woman of color to represent Spain in Miss Universe.

Thanks to her outstanding performance, she made it to the top 10 in the pageant, in addition to winning the title of Miss Congeniality.

At just 17 years old, she competed in Miss World Spain 2013, representing Murcia. Six years later, she competed in Miss Universe Spain 2019.

It was in July of last year that she finally won Miss Universe Spain 2023, representing her country in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Miss Mexico Melissa Flores was injured

To conclude our list of facts about Miss Universe 2023, we share what happened to Miss Mexico.

According to La Prensa Gráfica, Melissa Flores had an accident and suffered an ankle injury hours before the final gala.

However, that did not stop her from continuing to compete, but she did so with a bandage on her foot. Instead of high heels, she wore low heels.

Unfortunately, she did not make it to the 20 semifinalists, although she made very good impression on the viewers.