Lina Luaces, daughter of Univision star Lili Estefan, is crowned Miss Universe Cuba
Luaces represented Santiago de Cuba, the city where her mother, Univision host Lili Estefan, and her uncle, music producer and businessman Emilio Estefan, were born.
'Being Cuban is my blood, my strength, my voice, my greatest pride,' Luaces said on July 8 on the stage at Milander Park, where she was chosen to represent Cuba in the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand on Nov. 21.
The Miss Universe Cuba 2025 gala was hosted by Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua, and Carlos Adyan of Puerto Rico, host of 'En Casa con Telemundo.'
SEE MORE: Take a look at Miss Universe Cuba 2025, where a Miami native was crowned
The ceremony also paid tribute to the outgoing queen, Marialena Ancheta, the first Miss Universe Cuba in 57 years, who represented Cubans in Miss Universe 2024. She was in charge of crowning Luaces, who will also be the queen of the celebrations for the centennial of the city of Hialeah.
Luaces was joined in final round of the top three by Lisbeth Fernández, from Pinar del Río, and Vanessa Villareal, from the Eastern Region.
'Cuba has a lot of talent to give to the world,' said Villarreal, in response to the jury's question to the three finalists about why they should be chosen to represent Cuba in the Miss Universe pageant.
'Cuban is synonymous with excellence,' said Villarreal, who followed a strict diet and exercise plan before the competition.
'My strong suit now is my self-esteem. I've raised it a lot. I feel like I can achieve anything I want,' Villarreal said in a previous interview with El Nuevo Herald. Venezuelan designer Prince Julio César, national director of Miss Universe Cuba, said he observed a special quality in Villarreal as she prepared for the pageant with the other 16 candidates.
In the round of five finalists, Sheila Laza (Central Region) and Mia Donadio (Isla de la Juventud) also qualified, the latter winning Miss Popularity for getting the most votes from the public through the Miss Universe Cuba platforms.
Donadio was also recognized for having the best skin, according to Snatched Plastic Surgery, one of the sponsors of Miss Universe Cuba. Meanwhile, Laza, who arrived from Cuba at age 13 and entered beauty pageants in Houston and competed in the 2018 edition of 'Nuestra Belleza Latina,' won the award for best face, selected by Le Belle MD, a spa that has worked with Cuban beauty queens since the pageant's first edition.
Luaces spoke to the press after the gala and thanked her family, 'who sacrificed so much for me to be here and achieve this for Cuba.'
She also responded to comments made by people on social media that she won the Miss Universe Cuba title because she belongs to the Estefan family.
'Everyone can have their opinion, but my family doesn't get up at six in the morning every day to go to the gym, or to attend Spanish, public speaking, and catwalk classes for almost 13 hours a day. I know everyone is going to have their opinion, but I believe in myself,' she said.
Luaces began ballet at an early age and began modeling at 15. She was then signed by Mexican modeling agency Paragon Model Management. Last February, she modeled for several designers at New York Fashion Week.
'It fills me with pride to see her enjoying our culture, our traditions,' said her mother, Lili Estefan when Lina participated in the first casting call for Miss Universe Cuba in April.
The rules of Miss Universe Cuba allow candidates to be born in Cuba or of Cuban descent, as is the case with Lina.
'Today Cuba celebrates its queen. Today we crown not only a beautiful woman, but a symbol of strength, elegance, and determination,' the Miss Universe Cuba organization celebrated on its Instagram platform.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Ichiro Suzuki steals show with witty Hall of Fame speech in English
COOPERSTOWN — Ichiro Suzuki stole the show with his nearly 20-minute speech, delivered in English. Long known to those around him for speaking English well, Ichiro always chose to speak publicly in Japanese, using an interpreter. Now a Hall of Famer, Ichiro chose Sunday to break out a witty speech in front of a crowd of thousands of fans wearing his No. 51 Mariners jersey. Advertisement Afterward, speaking in Japanese again following his speech, Ichiro said he 'always knew' he would deliver the speech in English, in hopes of letting his American fans understand it as well as possible. 5 Ichiro Suzuki delivers a nearly 20-minute speech in English at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'I played with him, so I knew he could do that,'' CC Sabathia said of Ichiro's speaking ability. 'It was good for people to get to know his personality and how hard he worked.' Advertisement Brian Cashman had a similar story, saying that when he traded for Ichiro in 2012, he and an interpreter spent over an hour on a phone call with Ichiro and his interpreter to explain what his role would be if he agreed to come to the Yankees. 'It took forever,'' Cashman said. A week later, Cashman introduced himself to Ichiro in person in The Bronx and was surprised. 5 Ichiro Suzuki jokes with fellow Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Cal Ripken Jr. before his speech. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Advertisement 5 Billy Wagner and Ichiro Suzuki chat during their Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 5 Ichiro Suzuki's wife, Yumiko Fukushima, watches her husband be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post 'He responded by speaking better English than I did,'' Cashman said. Ichiro, in addition to thanking the Mariners and their fans, as well as his Orix team in Japan that let him come to the majors in 2001, also fondly recalled his time with the Yankees from 2012-14. Advertisement 'I enjoyed my two-and-a-half years in pinstripes and to get to experience the great leadership of Derek Jeter and the organization's proud touch,' Ichiro said. Billy Wagner said he'd been preparing his Hall of Fame speech 'for about 10 years' while waiting to get inducted. He finally got his chance Sunday, when the lefty became the first left-handed reliever to be enshrined in the Hall, in part thanks to his three-plus years with the Mets. 5 Billy Wagner shows off his new Hall of Fame ring. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post And while he's most remembered for his years in Houston — where his first manager was Terry Collins in 1995 and '96 — he noted the role his time in Queens played in his path to Cooperstown. But he also praised the Mets and their former owners, the Wilpons. Advertisement 'For a small-town guy like me, going to a big city, Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, and the Mets organization made it easy to come to the field and compete,' Wagner said. 'Because I got to ride in [to the ballpark] with Tom Glavine. They always had a great team surrounding me and that helped me reach this stage today.' Wagner noted that he and Whitey Ford are the only pitchers in the Hall of Fame who are shorter than 6 feet tall. He also noted that he is the only pitcher from a Division III college (Ferrum College) to get to Cooperstown. 'I'm from a very small part of southwest Virginia,'' Wagner said. 'To grow up in a small, rural area, this isn't something you think about.' Advertisement Dave Parker died in June at age 74. He had been preparing a speech for his induction and his son, Dave II, spoke on his behalf. The late Dick Allen's wife, Willa, also spoke on her husband's behalf. … Sandy Koufax, the oldest living Hall of Famer at age 89, was in attendance. … The start of the ceremony was delayed by an hour due to inclement weather. There were an estimated 30,000 fans in attendance.
Buzz Feed
an hour ago
- Buzz Feed
Tacky Home Decor Trends People Think Need To Disappear
We all know that taste is subjective. So when you walk into someone's home, their decor might not be the same as what you like. But recently, real estate agent @EricGoldie asked people on TikTok for the decor that they think screams "this home is tacky." Judging by the responses, there's a handful of choices that people pretty much across the board think is tacky. Here are some of the most-agreed-upon responses: Mirrored furniture. —felipewitov "Taj Mahal" stone (quartzite with gold veining). —Royalrusset Anything that starts with "In this house..." —kattales54 "That damn Tom Ford coffee table book." "When a regular house has a beach house theme." —kayatreea Studded couches or bed frames. —serenalucila "Anything Rae Dunn 🚩🚩🚩📌📌📌" "Quotes all over the walls. Stop it." —cnormgo "Signs announcing what room it is... "Kitchen", "Bathroom: Wash your hands!" —lillian7129 "Mounted dead animal heads." —KGo-Key "Couches with cup holders." —dmarie19694 "Anything with a luxury brand logo. Chanel doesnt make toilet seat covers babes." —deeayeego ''Family' displayed everywhere. Like wtf else is living there." —jessyourmess "American flag as decor. 😬" — "The big wooden fork and spoon hanging in the kitchen." —susanwillis361 "Not necessarily decor, but being nearly knocked out by apple cinnamon [scent plug-ins] (or any scent really) the second you walk in the door automatically makes everything else about the house extremely tacky." —russtor "I'll die on this hill but televisions in bedrooms." —Spliffthekid "Bible quote placards all over like, 'As for this house, we will serve the lord!'" —moonflour475 "The multiple gothic crosses on one wall." —macebee "MAGA stuff, confederate flags." — And finally, a reminder: "Rent so high I don't even feel right commenting on this. If you got a house, you're doing a good job. A home is a luxury."
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Joan Anderson, unsung heroine of hula hoop history, dies at 101
'Everyone was having such fun,' she added, 'I thought, 'I'd like to do that, too.'' Back in Los Angeles, Ms. Anderson asked her mother to mail her one of the rings from Australia, and it soon brought joy to the Anderson household. Her children played with it. Ms. Anderson swerved it around her hips for friends at dinner parties. When someone told her that it looked as if she was 'doing the hula,' the traditional Hawaiian dance, Ms. Anderson was struck with inspiration. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up She named the object the hula hoop. Advertisement What transpired next would place Ms. Anderson at the center of what she described as an American tale of shattered dreams and promises, a business deal made on a handshake, and, eventually, a lawsuit. Ms. Anderson died July 14 at a nursing facility in Carlsbad, Calif., north of San Diego. She was 101. Her daughter, Loralyn Willis, announced the death. The hubbub over the hoop started when her husband, Wayne, saw opportunity in the object and decided to pitch it to Wham-O, a toy company that soon became known for the Frisbee. As it happened, he was acquainted with one of Wham-O's founders, Arthur Melin, known as Spud, so he arranged a meeting. Advertisement The encounter, she recalled, occurred in a parking lot outside Wham-O's offices in San Gabriel, Calif. The Andersons opened up the trunk of their car and took out the hoop. 'There were no witnesses,' Ms. Anderson said in the documentary. 'Just Spud and my husband and myself.' 'We told him, 'We've called it the hula hoop,'' she continued. 'He said: 'Looks like it has some merit. If it makes money for us, it's going to make money for you.'' The deal was sealed with what Ms. Anderson characterized as a 'gentleman's handshake' and nothing more. Wham-O began experimenting with the hoop, developing a plastic version of it and trying it out on children at a Pasadena, Calif., elementary school. The company also started giving them away to generate buzz. By the time Wham-O was selling the hoop, lines were forming outside department stores. As the popularity of what Wham-O trademarked as the Hula Hoop grew, Ms. Anderson said, she and her husband heard less and less from Melin. 'We called Spud and asked him what was going on, and he kept putting us off,' she said. 'Then they just ignored us.' The hoop quickly became a national sensation. From Ms. Anderson's home in the suburbs of Monterey Park, Calif., she watched as newspapers landed on her porch with headlines like 'Hula-Hoop Sales Soar to $30 Million in 2 Months.' Over the years, stories about Wham-O's success sometimes spoke of a 'friend' visiting from Australia who first told the company about the hoop. 'I think that bugged me more than anything,' Ms. Anderson said. 'It was never reported correctly at all. I was not a 'friend.'' Advertisement In 1961, the Andersons filed a lawsuit against Wham-O. But the company presented records demonstrating its own woes. Just as quickly as the Hula Hoop sensation took off, it swiftly ended, entering the annals of American fads. Wham-O was left with heaps of unsold hoops and argued that it had not made a profit after production costs. The case concluded in a settlement, and the Andersons walked away with just a few thousand dollars. The couple moved on with their lives. Wham-O went on to release the SuperBall, the Slip 'N Slide ,and Silly String. Melin died in 2002. (Wham-O was sold in 1982 to the Kransco Group Cos. for $12 million. It was later sold to Mattel, which then sold it to a group of investors, and it has continued changing hands ever since.) 'We often talked about the money we could have made from it and maybe changed our life a little bit,' Ms. Anderson said in the documentary, 'but it didn't work out that way.' 'The world isn't fair. But life goes on.' Joan Constance Manning was born Dec. 28, 1923, in Sydney to Claude and Ethel (Hallandal) Manning. Her father was a real estate broker. As a young woman, Joan was a swimsuit model known as the 'Pocket Venus' because she was 5 feet 2 inches tall. In 1945, Wayne Anderson, a US Army pilot on leave from duty, approached Joan on Bondi Beach. They married a few months later and moved to California. Anderson, who went on to run a prosperous woodwork machine manufacturing business, died in 2007. Advertisement In addition to her daughter, Loralyn, Ms. Anderson is survived by two sons, Warren and Gary, and six grandchildren. Another son, Carl, died in 2023. Over the years, Ms. Anderson's brush with hula hoop history faded into family lore. When her children grew up, they sent letters about her story to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, but nothing came of it. Fate intervened in 2016, when Ms. Anderson's daughter was recounting the story to coworkers while dining at a restaurant in La Mesa, near San Diego. At a table nearby, eavesdropping, was the mother of Amy Hill, a filmmaker. She asked for her telephone number and passed it along it to Hill. Intrigued by the tip, Hill began vetting the story with her husband and collaborator, Chris Riess. They decided to pursue the project and interviewed Ms. Anderson at La Costa Glen, the retirement community where she lived. The resulting short documentary, 'Hula Girl,' premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. At 94, Ms. Anderson flew to New York to promote the film, and a writer for Vogue interviewed her for an article. The documentary was also shown at the Sydney Film Festival and received coverage in The Atlantic and Smithsonian magazine. It was screened as well for Ms. Anderson's fellow residents at La Costa Glen. Her friends watched in fascination as they learned about her connection to the hula hoop. At La Costa Glen, Ms. Anderson stayed fit by swimming every week and taking ballroom dancing lessons. She also became a formidable bridge player. And in her apartment, she kept the original wood hoop that her mother had mailed to her from Australia, although it mostly sat collecting dust. Advertisement 'I do it once in a while for exercise,' she said, 'but not as much as I should.' This article originally appeared in
