Amazonas' Ileana Marquez Pedroza — first mother to compete in Miss Venezuela


The Miss Venezuela 2023 competition is currently taking place in Caracas where 25 of Venezuela's most beautiful women are vying for the coveted title.

One of the most talked about contestants is Ileana Marquez Pedroza, the representative of the state of Amazonas.

The 27-year-old model and TV host is the first ever mother to compete in the national pageant's 70-year history.

If she wins the competition, she will not only be the first mother to hold the title but also the first one to represent Venezuela at Miss Universe.

The Miss Venezuela organization followed Miss Universe's new rules of accepting contestants who are mothers as well as married and divorced women to be more inclusive.

"Being a mother in my youth changed me as a person by having to face a society in which I did not fit into its standards, however in a positive way I matured, studied, worked, and moved forward," Ileana said in her bio for Miss Venezuela.

"Today I feel proud to be the mother of Guadalupe Antonella, who is and will be my most important driving force to continue growing as a person and as a professional."

The 70th Miss Venezuela final will be held this Thursday, December 7 at the Centro Comercial Líder in Caracas.

Photos: Victor Guillen, Johan Chango, Miss Venezuela / Instagram

RELATED POST:

Popular posts from this blog

Miss Universe 2024: Meet the contestants

Image
Miss Universe 2024, the 73rd Miss Universe pageant will be held on November 16 at the the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The country known for its rich culture, ancient ruins, dazzling beaches, and incredible cuisine has been chosen to host the competition for the fifth time after 1978, 1989, 1993, and 2007. Eighty (80) national winners have been crowned up to this point and are all set to compete in this year's highly anticipated beauty pageant. Reigning Miss Universe Sheynnis Palacios, Nicaragua's first winner, will crown her successor at the end of the event whose exact date and venue have yet to be announced. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Universe (@missuniverse) Meet the contestants: Albania - Franceska Rustem Argentina - Magalí Benejam Armenia - Irina Zakharova Aruba - Anouk Eman Australia - Zoe Creed Bahamas - Selvinique Wright Belgium   - Kenza Ameloot Belize - Halima Hoy Bolivia - Juliana Barrientos Bonaire - Ruby P
Read more

Miss Universe Mexico 2024 is María Fernanda Beltrán Figueroa

Image
María Fernanda Beltrán Figueroa of Sinaloa was crowned Miss Universe Mexico 2024 in a national competition held on Saturday, September 7 at the Cancun Convention Center. The 24-year-old model and entrepreneur from Culiacán bested over 30 other contestants to win the national title. She will represent Mexico at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico City this November. Aranza Molina of Tabasco and Karen Bustos of San Luis Potosí were the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Mariana Macías of Michoacán and Lorena Sevilla of Colima rounded out the Top 5 finalists. The rest of the Top 10 were from Guerrero (Priscila Valverde), Ciudad de México (María Malo), Jalisco (Cristina Villegas), Comunidad Internacional (Ariadna Muro), and Nuevo León (Alejandra Tijerina). Completing the Top 16 were Hidalgo (Zya Barceló), Tlaxcala (Paula Gorozpe), Querétaro (Esmeralda Meza), Yucatán (Ana Paulina Rovero), Guanajuato (Zaida Ramírez), and Estado de México (Jessica Farjat). The new Miss Universe Mexico
Read more

Miss Turkey 2024: Meet the Top 20 finalists

Image
A total of 20 finalists have been selected to compete for Miss Turkey 2024 following an elimination round held on Wednesday, September 4 in Istanbul. The grand final will take place on September 11 at the Lazzoni Hotel and the winners are expected to represent Turkey at the next Miss World and Miss Supranational pageants. No competition was held last year and this year's upcoming final will be the 42nd edition of the annual national pageant. In May, the Miss Turkey Organization headed by Can Sandıkcıoğlu officially announced that it parted ways with the Miss Universe Organization after more than 40 years. Its last representative was Aleyna Şirin who competed in Miss Universe 2022 which was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA in January 2023. The national organization that achieved Turkey's first Miss World winner courtesy of Azra Akın (Miss Turkey and Miss World 2002) will continue to send contestants to Miss World and Miss Supranational. Who will become the next Miss Turkey?
Read more

Miss Universe Australia 2024 is Zoe Creed from Brisbane

Image
Creed was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2024 in a national competition held on Thursday, September 5 at the grand ballroom of the Crown Perth in Burswood. The 23-year-old model from Brisbane edged out 27 other competitors to win the title. She is the first national winner from Queensland since Jesinta Campbell in 2010. Laetitia Greco and Renèe Mourad were named the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Bronte Rose Dagg and Jennifer Crown were the rest of the Top 5 finalists. The Top 10 were Sarah Said-Smith, Jess Davis, Alana Deutsher-Moore, Ally Draper, and Tahlia Jones. Last year's winner and Miss Universe 2023 second runner-up Moraya Wilson from Melbourne crowned her successor at the end of the event. The new Miss Universe Australia will represent her country at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant in Mexico this November. Road to the 73rd Miss Universe: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Universe Australia (@missuniverseaustralia.offici
Read more

Plus-sized Sara Milliken crowned Miss Alabama for National American Miss 2024

Image
Plus-sized beauty Sara Milliken was crowned the National American Miss Alabama 2024 during the state final held on May 27 at the Renaissance Marriot in Montgomery. The 23-year-old model and mental health advocate from Atmore, Alabama is now expected to represent her home state at the National American Miss 2024 competition later this year. "This is a dream that has been 8 years in the making for me," said the new National American Miss Alabama who first joined the state pageant when she was 15 years old. After enduring bullying upon her return at the age of 16, she decided to take a break from joining for 7 years. However, this year, she mustered up the courage to give the crown another shot. "I returned to the NAM stage to prove to myself I didn't give up. I could do this. I was more than the mean things that was said to me," Sara wrote online. "I was authentically myself. I had fun. I had the most genuine smile on my face. I wasn't perfect." In r
Read more

Miss Universe El Salvador 2024 is Florence García

Image
Miss San Miguel, Florence García, was crowned Miss Universe El Salvador 2024 on Saturday, September 7 at the Teatro Presidente in San Salvador. The 25-year-old Salvadoran-American model and presenter bested 13 other finalists to win the national title. She will represent El Salvador at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico this November. Luciana Martínez of Santa Ana and Giselle Sandoval of Ahuachapán were named the first and second runners-up, respectively. Jocelyn Gallegos of La Libertad and Iris Guerra of La Unión rounded out the Top 5 finalists. The rest of the Top 10 were Bianca Marenco of Sonsonate, Tifany Montenegro of Morazán, Diana Portillo of San Vicente, Saori Pacheco of Usulatán, and Debora Guadrón of San Salvador. Last year's winner and Miss Universe 2023 Top 10 finalist Isabella García-Manzo crowned her successor at the end of the event. No stranger to pageantry, the new Miss Universe El Salvador competed in Miss United Continents 2022 on behalf of the United States in Portovi
Read more

Miss Alabama USA 2024 is Diane Westhoven

Image
Miss Southern Plains, Diane Westhoven was crowned Miss Alabama USA 2024 during the state final on Saturday, June 1 at Auburn University's Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center. The 21-year-old student from Birmingham will now prepare to represent Alabama at Miss USA 2024 this summer in Hollywood, California. She succeeds Sophie Burzynski, last year's winner and Miss USA 2023 Top 20 semifinalist. Diane is currently studying psychology at Auburn University with the goal of empowering others to feel confident in their physical and emotional well-being. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RPM Productions, Inc (@rpmproductions) FINAL RESULTS Miss Alabama USA 2024 - Diane Westhoven (Southern Plains) 1st runner-up - Ashlyn Powers (Fairhope) 2nd runner-up - Allyssa Weyant (Lake Jordan) 3rd runner-up - Olivia Burchfield (Magic City) 4th runner-up - Halle Sullivan (Northport) TOP 10 Maleigha Lewis (Enterprise) Melody Mills (Bailey Cove) Margaret Anne Mc
Read more

Miss Universe Nepal 2024 is Sampada Ghimire

Image
Sampada Ghimire was crowned Miss Universe Nepal 2024 on Wednesday, September 11 at the Godavari Convention Hall in Lalitpur. The 23-year-old fashion model from Bhaktapur edged out 21 other contestants to win the national pageant. She will represent Nepal at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico this November. Smriti Singh was named first runner-up while Akshita Chettri, Karren Murray, and Sujal Bam were the second, third, and fourth runners-up, respectively. No stranger to pageantry, the new Miss Universe Nepal was second runner-up at Miss National Nepal 2023. She also bagged the Miss Top Model award. This year's Miss Universe Nepal was the first edition under the directorship of Sangita Puri. The show was hosted by renowned pageant analyst Luis Porteles and media personality Malvika Subba. "We hope you carry forward the legacy and inspire countless others along the way. Your journey has just begun, and we can't wait to see you shine on the global stage. The universe is yours to co
Read more

Miss Universe Malaysia 2024 is Sandra Lim from Selangor

Image
Sandra Lim was crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2024 during the national competition held on Friday, September 6 at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The 23-year-old versatile actress, model, and host from Selangor beat 15 other finalists to win the national title. She also bagged the Miss Grace of J & KEL'L and Miss Best Dressed awards. Gianna Tan and Temara Inigo were named the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Gillian Miral, Shweta Mohan, Isabelle Choong, Genevieve Goh, and Car Menn Lee rounded out the Top 8 finalists. The new Miss Universe Malaysia will now prepare to represent her country at Miss Universe 2024 to be held in Mexico this coming November. "I look forward to continuing my work in helping more communities as the new Miss Universe Malaysia," she said in a press conference after the competition. "I think this is a very important platform. It can be very empowering and strong if we use it correctly to empower other communities. I would
Read more

Miss Universe Spain 2024 is Michelle Jiménez from Balearic Islands

Image
Miss Islas Baleares, Michelle Jiménez, was crowned Miss Universe Spain 2024 during the national competition held on Wednesday, September 11 in the municipality of Guía de Isora in Tenerife. The 21-year-old model triumphed over 16 other contestants to win the national title. She will represent Spain at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant in Mexico this November. Paula Pérez of Comunidad Valenciana and Ana Rosa Rodríguez of Andalucía were named the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Lara Doval of Cataluña and Dori Rodríguez of Navarra were the rest of the Top 5 finalists. Completing the Top 10 were Zulema Vázquez of Galicia, Francesca Carrillo of Asturias, Cristine Gall of Comunidad de Madrid, Elena Macías of Canarias, and Chaima Ouali of Castilla La Mancha. The new Miss Universe Spain succeeds last year's winner Athenea Pérez, who made the Top 10 and bagged the Miss Congeniality award at Miss Universe 2023 last November in El Salvador. Road to the 73rd Miss Universe:
Read more