Former Miss Guatemala Uses Guatemalan Art as Inspiration for ‘Maria Bag’ Designs
(Photo : Stocksnap)

While some beautiful women use the opportunity to travel to different places after winning in major beauty pageants. Others have used the opportunity to make connections with significant people and other networks for entrepreneurial prospects. The case is similar with Alida Boer.

Business Opportunity from Pageantry

For Alida Boer, her victory as Miss Guatemala in 2007 had given her the chance to travel to different regions in her country. During her travels, she had come across a discovery that inspired her to start one of her latest business venture, Marias Bag. The craftsmanship and richness of Guatemalan art had inspired her to start the business.

According to an article from Hola, Marias Bag is a high-fashion product that presents a line of designs inspired by the bold colors and textiles and complicated weaving patterns that were passed down from one generation to another. The designs empower true Guatemalan culture.

Boer said that before the launch of her new product, he thought of ways on how Guatemalan art can be introduced to the world. After more than two years of planning and researching, she finally thought of showcasing the rich Guatemalan culture through bags.

Currently, the Marias bag is being sold worldwide such as in Latin American nations, Miami, South Africa, and London. The former Miss Guatemala's brand was not only made with captivating and beautiful designs, but it was also like a book that told the story of Guatemalan culture and the artistic heritage originating from the culture of the Mayans.

Dreams from Pageantry 

In Venezuela, aside from oil, the next successful and profitable export of the nation are beauty queens. 

An article from NBC News told the story of how Venezuelan women are making a living through entering beauty pageants. 

Johandrys Colls, a 16-year-old beauty pageant regular takes pride in her metal crown decorated with plastic gemstones and nine satin-made sashes she won in some local beauty pageants.

She is the daughter of a butcher and a teacher. Her parents hope for her to have a better life by entering the world of pageantry. They dream of Colls to become an international beauty queen someday.

Due to some protests of groups for sexism, many beauty pageants had given in to the rallies such as Miss America. It was noticed that the competition had scrapped the swimsuit competitions and converted it into an emphasis on the personal accomplishment of its candidates. It is highly evidential that Latin American women who looked good are frequently declared winners, disregarding their accomplishments in life. 

 Despite the difficulty in thriving in the beauty pageant industry, Colls' parents still see their child as a successful beauty queen in the future. This vision led them to enroll Colls in one of the top modeling schools in Venezuela. They believe that the school will help Colls transform into a beautiful woman worthy of being called a beauty queen shortly. 

Looking at the achievements and current standing of the former Miss Guatemala, the rewards that come after being declared a beauty queen is enticing to many Latinas.