Venezuelan born Alicia Machado is the daughter of a Cuban father and Spanish mother who immigrated to Venezuela during the middle of the 1900s. Her father, a relative of former Cuban dictator, Gerardo Machado, fled Cuba and found refuge after the fall of the Machado regime in Venezuela. Alicia began modeling at an early age before winning the title of Miss Venezuela. After winning the 1996 Miss Universe title (the 4th contestant from Venezuela to do so in the pageant's history), Alicia became a media star, however winning the title came with its' prices. After winning the title, Alicia gained plenty of weight and was forced by pageant owner, Donald Trump, to either lose the weight quickly or she would lose the crown. Many womens' groups attacked Trump's ultimatum, calling it sexist and discriminative, however Trump remained solidly strong behind his words. Within a few months, Alicia lost the wight within a few months and was allowed to keep her crown. After returning to Venezuela after her reign, she transformed herself to a Spanish-language soap opera/serial star. Presently she films serials in her native Venezuela and still remains a major media star throughout Latin America.
Miss Universe 1996