Paulina Vega has been met with critics and memes poking fun at her intelligence after her performance at the 2014 Miss Universe competition, but the Colombian beauty queen has not taken it to heart.

Vega spoke to El Diario about what her life is like after winning the crown and Miss Jamaica.

"This experience has surpassed my expectations completely," she said. "The way I have been received in the city is incredible, because every time I go to a new event I find Colombians and Latinos, so the experience has been more bearable than I thought."

Vega had been to New York before but never during the winter. Though the weather may be different, it hasn't stopped her from putting on heels everywhere she goes.

But she will get a break from the cold weather soon.

After attending New York Fashion Week, she will be going to Indonesia, Dubai and home to Colombia. Vega added she has not had the opportunity to celebrate with her country yet.

Many have said Vega did not deserve to win. Instead, some believe Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell, who has been lauded for her short hair and intelligence, should have been declared the newest Miss Universe.

"I think whoever won was never going to please the entire world, because there are 88 candidates and all had their own group," she said.

"The FIU auditorium is super small, so any yell was heard as though it were the entire auditorium. People believe that it was 95 percent of the auditorium, but it wasn't like that," she added. "I think no one thought Jamaica was going to be the first called in the top five, but I think that she is also happy being a top five finalist. It turned into something sad when the whole world should be proud and happy about what Jamaica did."

Vega also said her teeth were not altered in any way, and she owes her picture-perfect smile to meticulously caring for her teeth, which means staying away from coffee and soda. She believes many in the United States seem to think that she and others from Colombia regularly get plastic surgery, but she thinks women in the public eye need to be role models.

Though she is not against plastic surgery, she does not think it should be abused.

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