Venezuela And The Beauty Economy : A Look Into The Thriving Beauty Industry Of Venezuela

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, a Latin American Spanish speaking country slightly greater than twice the size of California. It is bordered by Brazil, Columbia and Guyana and has a population of about 26.5 million with the fairer sex forming more than 50% of that number. It is a country whose history has been characterized by political turmoil, dictatorial rule, military coups and frequent economic ups and downs. It is a country which remains highly dependent on oil revenues, which account for roughly 90% of export earnings, more than 50% of the federal budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. It also has the least expensive petrol in the world, due to high government subsidies.

Despite all it’s problems and troubles this country has made it’s mark in the world and is known as the land having the most beautiful women in the world. It has the distinction of winning five Miss World pageant titles (the most by any country and tied with India which also has five) as well as five Miss Universe pageant titles. It is one of the few countries of the world which has a thriving beauty economy which has now become Venezuela’s second biggest industry after oil.

So how big is the Beauty Industry in Venezuela after all, let’s consider some facts.

• It is estimated that Venezuelans spend one fifth of their disposable income on beauty products, a startling statistic for a country in which 40 percent of its population lives below the poverty line.
• A study conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide a couple of years ago revealed that 65 percent of Venezuelan women think about their looks “all the time,” in contrast to the 27 percent of American women in the same category.
• Studies show that Venezuela is the largest consumer of cosmetics and personal care products per capita in the world, taking a 9.3% share of the world cosmetic market according to the Review of In-Cosmetics Industry Trends Presentations, 2004.

So while the Venezuelans like most Latin Americans are gifted with better than average looks, it is actually a combination of their natural looks, cosmetics, plastic surgery and of course their hard work which makes them look so good. And when it comes to creating a league of women who go on to win the International beauty pageants so frequently it is thanks to the determination and ambition of Osmel Sousa, the president of the Miss Venezuela Organization.

Sousa transforms pretty girls into knockout contest winners. After selecting twenty girls from over two thousand participants in a nation-wide scouting competition, he enrolls them in his academy for six months of intense training for the Miss Venezuela contest. Over the past three decades he has developed an eye that he claims can quickly pick a winner from a crowd. The girls will work with a team of professionals that will help them improve on all areas of their presentation. From the way they walk to the way they talk, after six months in Sousa’s academy, they ideally will emerge as confident, eloquent, elegant women with perfect bodies and promising futures.

Sousa’s academy boasts of the countries leading plastic surgeons who help the contestants with operations such as breast augmentation, thigh lipo-sculpting, and waist reduction. The team of cosmetic dentists and dermatologists combine their efforts in perfecting the face and smile of every contestant. Then there is also a team of talented people who hone the skills of the beauties so as to improve their singing, dancing and cat-walking skills. As you would have probably guessed by now, the institute doesn’t have any dietitians or nutritionists as the girls are often kept on unhealthy and unbalanced diets so as to achieve that perfect shape and look suited for the camera.

Infact there is so much preparation involved in grooming the MIss Venezuela contestants that by the time the winner emerges she is almost ready to take on the contestants from the rest of the world. The Miss Venezuela contest is a matter of national pride. When a Miss makes it to the final round of the international circuit, the entire country celebrates. Just as Brazilians are fanatical about the World Cup and Americans about the Super Bowl, for Venezuelans, this is the most important event of the year. The video below shows exactly what the beauty industry in Venezuela is all about and what goes on to find the perfect Miss Venezuela.

Note: This article has used several sources for reference some of which are The Brooklyn Rail and Press releases from the Government of Trinidad And Tobago.

DelhiPlanet Weekends : 5 Places Where It Pays To Be A Guy

Ah, the weekend is here again. The only time of the week to relax, chill or go out, visit friends, visit places and in general do things leisurely. In most places of the world the working week is from Monday To Friday with Saturday and Sunday being holidays. However there is some variance with regards to this in the middle-east. For instance, most middle east-countries including Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Kuwait have a working week from Saturday to Wednesday with Thursday and Friday being off-days. However in Egypt, Syria and the UAE the working week is from Sunday to Thursday. So if you’re in one of these places you’re really gonna miss “Saturday Nights“.

Well, this weekend we’ve got something really suited for the young,single and eligible bachelor, a species that is most certainly the most widespread. So what are the factors that would influence the decision of young bachelor to move to another city. Well let’s see, level of development, public transport, cost of living, leisure and entertainment, drinking age, etc, etc and at some level the kind of women. After all who wouldn’t like to move to a city that is not only well-developed but also has an excellent male-female ratio with some really good looking and easy to talk to girls.

Recently a survey was done to find out the top cities of the world having the most beautiful women where the results were determined by: Quality of women, Male to Female ratio and Ease of talking to women. Let’s have a look at what the top 5 cities are:

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Take a trip across the streets of Amsterdam (check the exclusive DP Travel Coverage here) and you’ll find so many beautiful women cycling across the streets. The women of Amsterdam and dutch women in general are naturally beautiful and very Independent. They usually make nice home-makers and are known be better in relationships as compared to their other european counterparts.

Caracas, Venezuela

There’s something about this developing latin american country that just amazes you. It’s a well known fact that Venezuela has won the maximum number of Miss World and Miss Universe pageants and has a thriving beauty industry. The women here take great pride in their appearance. Regardless of their socio-economic status, it is estimated that Venezuelans spend one fifth of their disposable income on beauty products, a startling statistic for a country in which 80 percent of its population lives below the poverty line. A study conducted by Roper Starch Worldwide revealed that 65 percent of Venezuelan women think about their looks “all the time,” in contrast to the 27 percent of American women in the same category.

In Caracas’s shanty towns, jumping over puddles in sloping alleys of clapboard houses, high-heeled women in tight low-waist jeans work their way to the bus stop. A mixture of Amazonian Indian, African, and European blood has created a race that, although subtle to the foreign eye, is quite exotic. As women pass by, men will compliment them and unlike most countries of the world these compliments are well received and are followed by a hug or a thank you. Someone we met also told us that turning 18 years old is something that all girls look forward to in this country, because at this age the girls father usually gives a major beauty enhancing gift to the daughter.

Now this is surely a place worth visiting for the young and eligible bachelor.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Venezuela, Brazil along with Argentina form the trio of Latin American countries which boast of an extremely attractive female species. The women of Buenos Aires are naturally beautiful and every women in Buenos Aires is a model waiting to be found. The parties are legendary and the clubs and events are overloaded with beautiful, approachable, and fun women.

No wonder that Argentinian men are masters at flirting and consider it to be a part of their culture.

Copenhagen, Denmark & Stockholm, Sweden

Finally the Scandinavians have the kind of looks that most people can just dream of, Tall people with blonde hair and blue eyes. Scandinavian women are one of the most approachable, educated and friendly women in the world and the sex ratio is also extremely good in these countries. Definitely a must visit place for the eligible bachelor.

While the countries listed above definitely score on the ratio and ease of talking factors which is the criteria on which the survey is based on, it must be said that all countries of the world have good-looking women and in general women are always beautiful in one way or the other.

Uniting The World With Yoga – An Exclusive Interview With Queen Yogini Kristin McGee, Part – 2

We’re back with the last and final part of our exclusive interview with the amazing Kristin Mcgee. If you’re new to yoga and are looking for a place to start then look no further cause with Kristin McGee’s invigorating yoga techniques you’ll find yourself on the road to fitness much earlier than you imagined. You can catch our previous coverage on Kristin and her yoga programs at the following links:

1. Uniting The World With Yoga : An Interview With Kristin McGee, Part -1
2. Introducing Kristin McGee – The Queen Yogini Of The West

And now for the remaining part of our interview.

DelhiPlanet(DP): Kristin, you are an incredibly fit person, do you diet or avoid any particular kind of foods. Also do you suggest any diet to your students so that they can achieve the true benefits of your program. We recently talked to our readers regarding the Paul McKenna theory of “eat whatever you want, whenever you are hungry but in the right amounts“. Do you also believe in this.

Kristin: I really believe in the “everything in moderation” approach. I try not to label foods as bad and good but as how do I feel when I eat this. Sometimes my body craves a good steak. Most often I really love fruits, veggies, yogurts, fish, chicken, whole grains and tofu, oh yeah and a glass of wine and dark chocolate! I think Paul McKenna is right when he says listen to your body and try and go off of internal cues when you are hungry eat and stop when you are full and listen to your body if it tells you it wants something let it have it but also know how much is right for you.

DP: “Everything you could possibly ever want, have or need is right here inside of you“, happens to be one of your favorite quotes which was actually created by you. In today’s world there is so much greed, want and desire and every person is just chasing material benefits. How do you think one can overcome this and actually get to feel the way your quote describes. How does yoga help in achieving Mind Control

Kristin: I think the benefits of yoga are very subtle and it’s not so much about controlling the mind but getting to a mind state where you start to realize that truly all we really need is to take care of our health and our self, be with the people we love, do something we really enjoy in order to have food and shelter and certain treats and other than that there isn’t much more to life. I’ve been realizing after 14 years in NY that I really don’t need all that much. I love teaching yoga, I like staying healthy, I love my boyfriend, my family and my friends and I just keep trying to remind myself every day how lucky I am to be alive and breathing. When you are more conscious of your breath in yoga practice, you become more conscious of each awesome breath you take each day and you don’t feel you need much more to make you happy.

DP: Please Describe what a normal Kristin McGee Working Day is like.

Kristin: I wake up very early and sometimes do stomach churning. Then I have a nice healthy breakfast—my favorite meal of the day—then I’m off to teach. I walk everywhere or take the subway to and from client’s homes and the gyms and studios where I work. I always carry snacks for mid morning and mid afternoon and I usually have a healthy sandwich of tofu or hummus for lunch. I do my own practice sometime during the day and when I get home at night I check my emails and write for Veria where I have a blog. I make a healthy dinner and read some of my yoga magazines or do a crossword puzzle. I’ve been trying to make more space for mediation and if my honey is in town we share a glass of wine and take a walk along the river on the West Side highway. I’m in bed around 10 or 11 most nights.

DP: Yes folks, we forgot to mention that Kristin is a great writer too and has her own blog here. Kristin, please tell us something about your retreat workshops. We know that you recently held a retreat course at Morgan’s rock in Nicaragua and prior to that in Marrakesh, Morrocco. What kind of retreats would you like to do in future ?

Kristin:I met a woman named Erica who leads retreats to exotic locations through her company called Escape To Shape and she hires me as their premier yoga instructor. I loved the trip I did in Sicily and Morocco was very interesting. I’m teaching at Kripalu in September and next June was asked to lead a retreat in Nicaragua. It is such a great way to see a new part of the world and wake up and do yoga every morning and meet wonderful people from all over the world. I would love to do a yoga/wine retreat or a yoga/chocolate retreat. I will look in to organizing that and I’d also love to do something like that out in Sun Valley, Idaho where I’m from and maybe combine it with sking in the winter or hiking in the summer.

DP: That’s sounds great, you surely are Uniting the world with Yoga. Tell us, do you believe that in order to be true yogi it is necessary to shed all materialistic desires and lead a very simple life devoid of any body pleasures. This happens to be a kind of impressions a lot of people have about yogis.

Kristin: Not at all. I think yoga fits in to any lifestyle. It is human nature to want nice things and we should give ourselves the things we like—body pleasures especially. People crave touch. Babies love to be hugged and nurtured. Adults love to connect on a physical level with each other and I think that is the most beautiful forms of union of them all.

DP: How affordable are the yoga classes that you take. Are the meant for only upscale New Yorkers or for the average man as well ?

Kristin: No. Classes range from as little as $15 up to $150 for privates. And many studios offer work exchange programs. I have a sliding scale for my private clients and try to accommodate everyone I can. Privates are definitely expensive but group classes and dvds and home practices are very inexpensive or free!

DP: Please share with us your experience of training the Winter Olympics particpants at Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002. Were any of the participants fitter than you .

Kristin: Oh yes! All the Olympic athletes are in incredible shape. I loved working with them and showing them ways to actually not push so hard but to feel good when they practice. The Olympics are all about competing, in yoga there is no competition so it was wonderful for them to drop that armor and just do something good for their bodies and minds.

DP: Do you believe in the concepts of Karma, Past Life and Re-Incarnation. Also would you like to be born again and if so as what and where ?

Kristin: Ooh that is a very tough question and one that I may not be able to answer until I’m in my 80’s! I think karma is real—what you give is what you get. I’m not 100% about the reincarnation. I kind of believe that we regenerate through nature and when my body decomposes it becomes part of the earth which makes beautiful flowers which bring sunshine and happiness to the next generations.

DP: You come from a family that loves music and we know that your father is a great piano player. Please name some of your favorite present day music artists. Do you also listen to Indian music.

Kristin: I love Indian music and often play a lot of Ram Das and Krishna Das in my classes. I know those are more chanting and I’d like to hear other types of Indian music when I come to visit India. I’ve always loved James Taylor and I like John Mayer and Coldplay and anything my boyfriend, Tim, plays. He is the real DJ in our relationship and he introduces me to great music all the time I just don’t remember the names of the bands half the time!

DP: Please tell us something about your hobbies. What else do you like to do in your spare time ?

Kristin: I love to ski and play tennis. I like to be in nature and hike and camp and fish and I’m rafting the Colorado River with my dad in the Grand Canyon for 19 days in July. I love to do crossword puzzles. I like seeing my friends and going to movies. I love going out to dinner and to the theater. I love to dance and I love to sing. I love when I’m home in Idaho with my whole family and we make homemade tacos and play board games. I like to read and I like to learn more about wines and cooking and I love to travel.

DP: Finally, What is the Dream or Mission of Your Life and How would you like to be remembered as ?

Kristin: My dream mission in life is to continually grow in to being a better person. I would hate to stop learning or discovering all that this world has to offer. I want to keep discovering my inner world, as wel, and share the most authentic me that I possibly can. I want to inspire people of all ages to do the same and to be happy and feel connected to their truest self. I want to build my Bendigirl brand and help build young girls and boys self esteem one breath at a time. I want to get married to my boyfriend Tim O’Shea and make little O’Shea babies so I can nurture them and bring them in to this incredible world. I want to be even half as incredible and amazing as my parents have been to me. I want to share what they’ve given me with my children and grandchildren. I want to give back to my parents as much as I can. That goes for my brothers and their wives as well anyone who has helped me continue on my path. I never ever want to take any of these people, Tim, mom, dad, Kraig, Kara, KT, KC, Kristopher, Julia, Daniel for granted.

I’d like to be remembered as a really good person, one who always tried her best and learned from her mistakes and who was truly wonderful and giving from the depths of her heart.

DP: Thank you so much Kristin for sparing some time for us, I am sure lots of people will benefit from your knowledge and you are really doing some wonderful work. I hope that you had a nice time talking to us.

Kristin: I want to thank you so much. The fact that we have already connected makes me feel like I’m on the right path and doing something good in my life. You inspire me to continue on this path. I want to visit you in India and I want to learn. Together you can teach me more and more about your culture and I can show you what I’ve learned so far in my Yogini life in NYC.

Namaste

Oh yeah and “Always always remember that everything you could possibly ever want, have or need is right here inside of you”.

Note: This is a DelhiPlanet Exclusive Presentation. Reproduction of this article in any form in full or in part without prior permission is prohibited. If you wish to spread the word, kindly link to the post.