- Ms. Edna Park was the first and final Miss Nigeria to compete in the Miss Universe beauty contest.
- The former beauty queen made headlines for being the first black African competitor to compete for the world crown.
- The fascinating life of this extraordinary woman, who bravely forged ahead to achieve a number of historic fits was investigated by Legit.ng.
Edna Park was crowned the eighth beauty queen at the prestigious Miss Nigeria Pageantry in 1964. At the youthful age of 19, she made history by being the first Nigerian or African to represent her nation at Miss Universe.
Her appearance in the worldwide beauty contest, however, took a surprising turn when she passed out on stage, creating quite a sensation.
The event happened immediately following the announcement of the finalists, and Park’s name was not one of them. The young Itsekiri saleswoman, overcome with disappointment, was unable to control her tears and fainted on stage, requiring assistance to leave.
READ ALSO: Who Is The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
After crying for two hours, a doctor gave Park sedatives, and he was then taken to the hospital for overnight observation.
The audience was left with a lasting impression of her dramatic competitive journey, which solidified her place in Nigerian beauty pageant history.
The former Nigerian ambassador’s wife, Nneka Onyegbula, allegedly consoled the patient by saying:
“All the judges are White, and they aren’t really competent to judge dark girls’ beauty.”
Ms. Park was surprised by the harsh criticism she received in the Nigerian media after her return.
It’s important to note that the tenacious queen ended up becoming Miss Nigeria’s last contestant at the Miss Universe pageant.
The former beauty queen discussed how her reign attracted many suitors in an interview with This Day. Despite having two children with Olorogun Felix Ibru, the former governor of Delta state, Edna Park made the unexpected choice to not wed him.
Ibru eventually paid her dowry after her father’s dying because he wanted to take part in the customary funeral rites, Edna said in the interview.
Following her reign, Edna trained in fashion design and hairstyling in order to pursue a career in beauty. She later founded Sherina Hair Care, one of England’s top beauty and hair salons.
READ ALSO: Marvels of the Early Mayan Civilization
Watch Video Here:
READ ALSO:
#Emotional: BBNaija’s Beauty Gets $20,000, Other Gifts for 25th Birthday (video)
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the reality Tv star had woken up to N300,000 naira alert from her friend, Doyin David.
Beauty was crying in the viral video on Instagram as her admirers showered her with many gifts.
A group popularly known as Beenavy was responsible for the biggest present of the day, a lavish glass box filled with $20,000.
