Alicia Machado
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
 |
|
| Born |
Yoseph Alicia Machado Fajardo December 6, 1976 Maracay, Venezuela |
|---|---|
| Residence | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Title(s) | Miss Maracay 1995 Miss Venezuela 1995 Miss Universe 1996 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss Venezuela 1995 (Winner) Miss Universe 1996 (Winner) |
| Children | 1 |
Yoseph Alicia Machado Fajardo (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈlisja maˈtʃaðo]; born December 6, 1976) is a Venezuelan-American actress, TV host, singer and beauty queen who was Miss Venezuela 1995 and then Miss Universe 1996. She was the fourth woman from Venezuela to be named Miss Universe.
During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, Machado publicly criticized the prior behavior of Donald Trump who owned the Miss Universe pageant during her reign. She was mentioned by Hillary Clinton during the first 2016 U.S. presidential debate.
Machado was born in Maracay, Venezuela. Her father was a toy store owner who emigrated from Spain and her mother's family emigrated from Cuba prior to the Cuban revolution. Machado took to performing at an early age. She began dancing at age 4 and acting at age 12. Machado attended college for a year and half but left to pursue modeling and appearing in commercials.
Machado won the 1995 Miss Maracay pageant, and then the 1995 Miss Venezuela pageant representing Yaracuy state and then the Miss Universe 1996 crown in Las Vegas. Early in her training, she refused plastic surgery recommended to her, notable in Venezuelan beauty pageant culture. The runner-up, Jacqueline Aguilera, also won the Miss World 1995 crown, marking the second time that two Venezuelans from the same pageant won two world titles. Machado's reign came as American businessman Donald Trump took ownership of the Miss Universe pageant. While preparing for Miss Universe, Machado underwent intense dieting. Machado said that, when she won, she weighed 116 pounds and was anorexic and bulimic.
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