High price of beauty: Venezuela can't afford a pageant queen

The Miami Herald, Posted on Sat, May. 17, 2003 BY DANIEL CHANG dchang@herald.com

It's almost like Switzerland missing the Winter Olympics.

Unable to buy enough dollars, Venezuela says it can't compete in the Miss Universe pageant for the first time in 44 years.

Venezuelans consider feminine beauty their second greatest national resource, after petroleum. So the Miss Venezuela Organization's inability to come up with about $80,000 to send reigning beauty Mariangel Ruiz to Panama for the June 3 pageant is an ugly blow.

''This is very painful,'' said Barbara Palacios Teyde, Miss Venezuela and Miss Universe 1986, who now lives in Weston.

Earlier this year, President Hugo Chavez imposed foreign exchange controls.

In the past 24 years, a Miss Venezuela contestant has won Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International a total of 12 times -- tops for that period. Half the country watches the national pageant, and among Venezuelans, there's sure to be a profound sense of loss. Said Palacios Teyde: ``Never . . . has there been a situation like this.''