Miss Universe 1953 was the second Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, on 17 July 1953.
At the conclusion of the event, actress Julie Adams crowned Christiane Martel from France as Miss Universe 1953. It is the first victory of France in the pageant's history. Miss Universe 1952, Armi Kuusela of Finland was unable to crown her successor after she chose to relinquish her crown in order to marry.
Twenty-six contestants from countries and territories competed in this year's pageant, marking the smallest turnout to date for Miss Universe as of 2025. The pageant was hosted by Bob Russell. This edition also featured the Metallic Bronze Crown designed by American silversmith Allan Adler, an all-bronze crown known for its lack of rhinestones and gemstones. The crown was only used for this edition.
Background
Selection of participants Contestants from twenty-six countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. One contestant was selected after another national pageant was held to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements After Miss France 1953, Sylviane Carpentier chose not to participate in any international pageant in order to marry, two separate competitions were held to determine the candidates of France to Miss Universe and Miss World. The Miss Cinema 1953 contest which was responsible for sending the candidate of France to Miss Universe was won by Christiane Martel.
Debuts and withdrawals The 1953 edition saw the debuts of Austria and Switzerland, and the withdrawals of Chile, Cuba, Great Britain, Hong Kong, India, and Israel after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or designate a contestant. Singapore was also set to compete in this edition. However, the Miss Singapore contest was postponed to next year due to lack of time and preparation.
Results Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 1953 – Christiane Martel 1st Runner-Up – Myrna Hansen 2nd Runner-Up – Kinuko Ito 3rd Runner-Up – Ana Bertha Lepe 4th Runner-Up – Maxine Morgan Top 16 – Lore Felger – Thelma Brewis – Jytte Olsen Italy – Rita Stazzi – Synnøve Gulbrandsen Panama – Emita Arosemena – Mary Ann Sarmiento – Ingrid Mills – Ayten Akyol – Alicia Ibáñez – Christel Schaack
Pageant Format From ten semi-finalists in 1952, sixteen semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. Each of the sixteen semi-finalists gave a short speech during the final telecast using their native languages. Afterwards, the sixteen semi-finalists paraded again in their swimsuits and evening gowns, and the five finalists were eventually chosen.
Selection committee
Jeff Chandler – American actor Arlene Dahl – American actress Rhonda Fleming – American actress, singer Constance Moore – American actress, singer Bud Westmore – American make-up artist for film
Contestants
Twenty-six contestants competed for the title. Country/Territory Contestant Age Hometown Alaska 18 Fairbanks Australia 20 Sydney Austria 18 Vienna Belgium 23 Brussels Canada 21 Ontario Denmark 18 Gilleleje Finland 20 Tampere France 18 Paris Greece 19 Athens Hawaii 20 Honolulu Italy 21 Milan Japan 21 Tokyo Mexico 18 Tecolotlán Norway 23 Oslo Panama 22 Panama City Peru 22 Ucayali Philippines 18 Manila Puerto Rico 20 Rio Piedras South Africa 20 Salisbury, Rhodesia Sweden 18 Gothenburg Switzerland 20 Lausanne Turkey 21 Istanbul United States 18 Chicago Uruguay 23 Montevideo Venezuela 20 Carabobo West Germany 18 Berlin
Notes
References
External links
Miss Universe official website