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

1957: Miss Peru, Gladys Zender

Peru brought the drama to Miss Universe in 1957, and it had everything to do with Gladys Zender. She took home the crown, only for pageant officials to find out—oops—she was just 17, technically too young to compete. But instead of a messy dethroning, they let her keep the title, saying she’d turn 18 within her reign. That decision stirred plenty of headlines.

Still, Gladys kept it classy and embraced her title like a total pro, becoming a style icon across Latin America. She married Antonio Meier, a Peruvian diplomat. Fun fact: their son, Christian Meier, became a famous soap opera star.

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