Puerto Rico, Myra Mataos Perez. Fernandez received the crown from fellow Venezuelan Dayana Mendoza, who won the 2008 Miss Universe contest held in Vietnam’s resort city of Nha Trang.
Overcome with excitement as the two Venezuelan beauties embraced, Mendoza fumbled and dropped the jewel- studded crown to the floor before placing it on the head of Fernandez.
In a telephone interview with Venezuelan media after the event, Mendoza admitted that at the moment of transferring the crown she whispered in the ear of Fernandez, You made it, witch! And gave her an affectionate pat on the backside.
“What do we Venezuelans have? Fernandez, an international relations student, told reporters after the pageant. “That we are ourselves”
“It was almost impossible, but Stefania did an excellent job, Mendoza said in a separate interview. We Venezuelans never tire… We made history today.
It was the first time that a contestant from the same country won the title a second year running.
Oil producer Venezuela is famous for its beauty queens and has accumulated more international beauty pageant titles than any other country.
The South American nation had produced five previous Miss Universe winners in 1979, 1981, 1986,1996 and 2008 and has also won the Miss world contest five times.
Only the United States has won more Miss Universe titles with seven.
During the question-and-answer segment involving the five top finalists. Fernandez was asked by a judge what obstacles faced women seeking to become leaders of business corporations.
“We’ve already reached the same level as men, she replied confidently, speaking through an interpreter.
When asked later how she thought beauty contest promoted equality between men and women, Fernandez said the pageants provided exposure.
‘We have quite a following worldwide, she said. We are models to follow”
Also in the interview segment, the 21-year-old Finch, an Australian model widely favored to win the crown, defended the pageants swimsuit parade, which has been criticized by critics of beauty contest.
‘I think our bodies are a beautiful part of a women and we should definitely show them to the world. Finch said.
The annual Miss Universe pageant, which was first held in Long Beach, California, in 1952, has been trying to present itself as something more meaningful than a swimsuit parade.
The new Miss universe is from the city of Merida in the west of a beauty-obsessed South American country where hard-fought pageants are something of a national sport, with contestants widely dissected by the public and the media.
Fernandez said she did not know whether Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez would receive her. He did not meet with Mendoza when she won and made no public statements at the time.
But Fernandez said Chavez might change his mind now.
As the new Miss Universe, Fernandez will receive a monetary prize, the size of which has been kept confidential.
The top award also includes a $100,000, scholarship to study acting at an academy in New York, a five-day vacation package in the Bahamas for two, a set of jewelry and complete wardrobe.
But the main attraction for contestants is an opportunity to break into and establish themselves in the lucrative world shows business, organizers said.
Women who seek the title of Miss Universe are driven by their desires to open for themselves new opportunities in the world of acting and entertainment, said Acirema Alayeto, president of Miss Latin America Organization.
The newly crowned Miss universe is expected to do what her predecessor had done. During her reign, Mendoza traveled the globe as an advocate for HIV/AIDS education, research legislation.
Fernandez and the 14 either finalists appeared in bathing suits before the final 10 were chosen for the evening gown segment.
Representatives of the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, South Africa and the United states made it to the top 10.
‘I think this is the most beautiful group of women I’ve ever seen, US real state mogul Donald Trump, who took over the Miss Universe pageant in 1996, told reporters.
A 12-person judging panel that included American Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley, actor Dean Cain and supermodel Valeria Mazza, evaluated each of contestant in three categories-swimsuit, evening gown and interview.