Picture of the Week

Universal Appeal

Here is one of Beauty School's all-time favorite Miss Universe contestants, Anne Marie Braafheid, Miss Curaçao 1968 and first runner-up to Miss Universe 1968.

In the photo, Anne Marie is sporting a funky and futuristic designer swimsuit. With her ultra-modern, geometric beachwear, she looks like she could have been Jane Fonda's co-star in the 1968 sci-fi fantasy Barbarella.

Throughout its history, the Miss Universe Pageant has been a relection of the popular culture surrounding it, keeping pace with changes in society's definitions of beauty and fashion.

Anne Marie exemplifies the changes the Miss Universe Pageant underwent in the 1960's, from the affirmation that "black is beautiful" to fashions influenced by the space age.

For a comprehensive view on the subject, an absolute must-read is "Fashion and Beauty Through The Archives Of Miss Universe, Fifty Years Of Evolution, A Historical Perspective" by Kelvin Alejandro. Check out his masterful essay - and take a look at the incredible photos he has assembled - at