INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Miss South Africa Crowned Winner For 2014 Miss World Pageant

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 06:56 PST, Dec 14, 2014

Rolene Strauss, also known as Miss South Africa, is the winner of Miss World 2014 pageant. This Sunday, the 22-year-old was crowned winner at the grand final in Excel London’s ICC Auditorium. According to E! Online, this has always been the plan for Strauss. Becoming Miss World was a childhood dream that is now a reality for the young woman, who just so happens to be a four-year medical student.

“Everyone in my town called me Little Dr. Strauss,” said Miss World.

Putting off her studies to focus on the competition was a large gamble that she took back in March, but it seems like it was all worth it in the end.

Strauss was just one out of 122 contestants who competed for the title of Miss World this year.

During an interview after her big win, Miss South Africa said, “South Africa, this is for you. I’m so proud of you and I’m proud to be your representative.”

The previous winner was Megan Young of the Philippines, who took the crown home in 2013.

The contestants who were in the top ten include India, South Africa, England, Guyana, Brazil, Hungary, Kenya, Unites States, Mexico, and Australia.

Although it was a celebratory event, not everyone was on board with Miss World. Feminist protestors attended the ceremony at the ExCel center. On Twitter, they used the hashtag #missworldoldworldmisogyny.

Then the London Feminist Network took a stance.

“The sexist idea that women should be judged on the basis of their appearance influences the way that all of us feel about ourselves as women and the way that men view and treat women.”

This particular pageant goes back to 1951. Famous finalists included actress Halle Berry, who won in 1986.

Runners up include Edina Kulcsar from Hungary, Elizabeth Safrit from the United States, Courtney Thorpe from Australia, Rafieya Hisain from Guyana, Julia Gama from Grazil, Idah Nguma from Kenya, and Daniela Alvarez from Mexico.

[Image via Twitter]

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