Morocco has a rich history in the world of beauty pageants, with its participation dating back to the mid-20th century. The Miss Morocco contest is the oldest continuing beauty contest in Morocco.
Between the 1950s and 1970s, Morocco sent delegates to major international pageants such as Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International.
Early Participation and Notable Contestants
The first known Miss Maroc representing the newly independent nation of Morocco in 1956 was Lydia Marin, who competed in Miss World that same year. Miss World’s archives list Lidya Marin as the first woman to compete under the name of Morocco next to several other ladies in 1956. During the beauty contest, Lidya presented herself as a 19-year-old secretary who speaks French and Arabic. Although, she was the first Miss Morocco to run for an international beauty pageant, Lidya was not able to make it to the top.
The following year, Morocco had another representative at Miss World, namely Danielle Muller. In 1958, Jocelyne Lambin participated to the competition under the Moroccan flag. In 1964, Leila Gourmala was the first Miss Morocco, with an Arabic name, to represent the Kingdom in Miss World. While in England for the competition, Leila said that she is dying to «see the Buckingham Palace» and meet «the Queen and John Mills», a famous English actor. The 1967 edition of Miss World was marked by the participation of Naima Benjelloun, a 17-year-old student from Casablanca. «This is her first visit to England, and whilst here she would like to meet the Beatles.
Zakia Chamouch, who is the last Miss Morocco on the list, made it to Miss World in 1968. Miss Morocco 1967 Naima Benjelloun./Ph.
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Miss Morocco in Miss Universe
In 1953, nine women were selected to represent Morocco at Miss Universe, an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the American-based Miss Universe Organization.
Jacqueline Dorella Bonilla, named Miss Morocco in 1957, was one of the most famous Moroccan competitors to ever make it to the American beauty contest, ending up as one of the top 15 semifinalists in the competition. On the internet, an old video of the competition shows Jacqueline presenting herself in front of the Miss Universe jury in Long Beach, California. To the young woman, the Kingdom was quite modern in the 50s. «You can find in Morocco 15-storey buildings and luxury cars», she told the audience while laughing.
The main winner of Miss Maroc represents Morocco at Miss Universe pageant.
Miss International was also one of the biggest beauty competitions that saw the participation of Moroccan women. It was in 1960 that Raymonde was selected to compete for the title. However, a weird yet funny anecdote marked her participation. «One lady, though, had a bit of trouble with her national costume. In fact, Raymonde lost her dress while traveling and she had to use a sheet instead, which put her in an embarrassing situation. «Once the sheet was draped on her, it was apparent it was too skimpy and see-through, so TWA got another sheet to wrap around her», the same source wrote, adding : «Poor Miss Morocco would suffer another peek-a-boo scandal later in the pageant».
Miss Universe 1964, The 13th edition of Miss Universe beauty pageant was held at Miami Beach Convention Hall, Miami Beach, Florida, USA on August 1, 1964. It was hosted by Jack Linkletter with Arlene Francis and John Daly as commentator and backstage host, lived on CBS. 60 delegates from different countries and territories around the world competed for the title. England placed 1st runner up for the 1st time. Israel placed 2nd runner-up for the 1st time. 15 semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. Each of the fifteen semi-finalists gave a short speech during the final telecast using their native languages. Afterwards, the fifteen semi-finalists paraded again in their swimsuits and evening gowns, and the ten finalists were eventually chosen. This was the 4th time that the pageant was held in Florida.
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Scotland - Wendy Barrie was selected to represent Scotland in this edition, after the original Miss Scotland, Doreen Swan, withdrew from the competition to marry her fiancé James Alexander Do Watt Nicoll on July 13.
Singapore - Vera Wee was supposed to participate in this edition, but she was unable to participate because Singapore was still part of Malaysia until October 1965.
Recent Developments
Night Star Maroc is currently the owner of the "Miss Maroc" trademark. In 2021, the new formation of Miss Universe Morocco was created in Casablanca.
The competition qualifies for the Miss Universe election, but the country has yet to return to the Miss Universe pageant.
The contest was first broadcast on television in 1959, with the number of viewers peaking in the nineties when it became watched by nearly half a billion people around the world.
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