By IBT UK Reporter | International Business Times
Outside of the Middle East, Lebanon is more closely associated with conflict than beauty pageants, so it is no surprise that 23-year-old Valerie Abou Chacra missing out on the top spot at the 2015 Miss World competition was greeted with such outrage on social media.
Lebanon has had a difficult year in 2015, with war raging in Syria, a dire refugee crisis and widespread political malaise, so when Chacra gave a stirring speech at the December 19 event calling for "love and serenity" it was shared and received far more widely than the usual scope of the global beauty pageant.
When she was beaten to the crown of Miss World 2015 by Miss Spain, Mireia Lalaguna Royo, the response was widely derided on Twitter.
Who is Miss Lebanon?
Chacra is student at the Lebanese American University (LAU) but also appears in TV shows and commercials across Lebanon. According to her website she has always wanted to work in TV and has a dream of founding her own production company and one day breaking into Hollywood.
Chacra won Miss Lebanon earlier this year at a ceremony in the capital, Beirut. The competition has been held in the country since 1991, but has been fairly regularly postponed because of war or unrest in the country. Most recently, in 2006, the pageant was cancelled after Israel invaded of Lebanon.
"I think that modesty and love and serenity is what the world needs more these years," said Chacra during the Miss World competition. "Miss World should have these qualifications in order to spread them all around the world. I promise to use all the energy inside me to draw smiles on other faces."
She said that Lebanese food is her favourite cuisine although she is not adverse to a cheeseburger. She listens to indie pop and her favourite book is Elizabeth Chandler’s Kissed by an Angel. Her hobbies are cycling, travelling, dancing and singing.
Miss World 2015 final: Twitter reacts to Miss Spain victory, claims Miss Lebanon should have won
Social media users are venting their anger online after Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo was crowned the Miss World 2015 at the annual pageant. Twitter erupted minutes after it was announced that the blonde beauty beat out 116 other contestant to win the competition at the Beauty Crown Grand Theatre in Sanya, China.
While some members of the online community accused organisers of rigging the result, others claimed Miss Lebanon Valerie Abou Chacra was the more worthy winner.
According to the official website of Miss World Organization, Abou Chacra is a 23-year-old student at the Lebanese American University (LAU) who appears in TV shows and commercials across Lebanon.
All the contestants of the 65th edition of Miss World contest went through a series of activities and events. The Middle Eastern brunette won over fans after giving an impressive speech in which she said: "I think that modesty and love and serenity is what the world needs more these years. Miss World should have these qualifications in order to spread them all around the world. I promise to use all the energy inside me to draw smiles on other faces."
The pageant hasn’t been without controversy. Earlier in the competition, the Chinese government banned Anastasia Lin, Miss Canada, from entering the country, preventing her from appearing in the finals. Lin has said it was a retaliation by China as she has spoken about the country’s human rights abuses.
