Find Out Who Took the Miss Universe Crown the Year You Were Born

1981: Miss Venezuela, Irene Sáez

Irene Sáez’s reign as Miss Universe was a whole era. After snagging the crown in 1981, she didn’t fade into modeling gigs or product endorsements. She went straight into politics. By the 1990s, she was elected mayor of Chacao, one of Caracas’ wealthiest and most high-profile municipalities.

Surprisingly, Irene later ran for president of Venezuela in 1998, making the news worldwide as a beauty queen-turned-political heavyweight. That same year, she was appointed governor of Nueva Esparta state. Fluent in multiple languages and holding a political science degree, she redefined what pageant winners could do. Her legacy? Equal parts glamorous and groundbreaking.

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