A 23-year-old Sri Lankan fashion designer, Christina Peiris, who owns a humanitarian clothing brand was placed in the top 16 finalists of the Miss Universe Pageant held on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Christina is the only Sri Lankan beauty queen to claim such starry heights in a Miss Universe pageant after Maureen Hingert became the runner up at the 1955 event.
Christina was among the top four in the Asian and African region. Rappler’s contributing writer Voltaire Tayag predicted her as No.6 in the top 16 before the pageant.
When the TV host Steve Harvey asked ‘how are you,’ cheerful Christina fired off saying ‘I am fantastic’. When he asked about her eight pet cats she gave some of their names: Coco, Nameless, Bullet, Toothless, Mama Kittie. When he further questioned her about Toothless, she said ‘it looks like a dragon from How to Tame a Dragon’.
Some believe her striking beauty combined with her complete ease and bubbly nature while talking to the TV celebrity in front of the huge audience may have definitely worked in her favour to be among the top 20.
She owns her own fashion label – X.TINA – and created a humanitarian clothing brand in her home country. She lost her mother to cancer when she was 13, as well as her two grand parents. One of the most beautiful participants to represents the country in the recent past, she donates a part of her earnings to cancer patients in memory of her late family members.
In an earlier interview, Christina who is 5 ft 9 tall and works as a model, said that her dad had advised her to practise patience. ‘Let others win the hundred meters and you win the marathon’, is his most inspiring advice, she said. “The family deaths had a big impact on our lives and I knew how hard it is pay the hospital bills,” she says adding that she is helping not only patients but also the cancer victims’ families.
Before earning the title of Miss Universe Sri Lanka, Christina became the youngest entrepreneur in her family. Ever since she was young she had a passion for fashion design leading her to complete a degree in the subject. Her friends and family best describe her as ‘funny, hardworking and compassionate to everyone around her’.
Christina has said that she has visited 16 countries. “Traveling is our family hobby and we try to visit a new country at least once a year. I have travelled to Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Greece, India, Malaysia, Switzerland, Singapore, Italy, France, Vatican City, Austria, Netherlands and Belgium.”
She is a passionate travel blogger and introduces her posts saying, “I will continue to take you on an exciting journey with my explorations and experiences from around the world. To share with you the best travel tips, where to dine when in doubt, brands that I truly love and to be able to answer all your Instagram questions on my little blog space”.
In a different pageant, Rosy Senanayake was the first Sri Lankan woman to win a coveted international honour by being crowned as Mrs. World in 1985 held in London.
Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who represented South Africa, won the Miss Universe title while Miss Colombia Laura Gonzale became the runner up and Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett emerged the second runner-up.
Canadian engineering graduate Lauren Howe, 24, made it to the top 10. She won the Miss Teen Canada World 2011. Canadian makeup artiste Jay Manuel was one of the celebrity judges of the beauty pageant. ©newstrails.com
