Mirella Paz Baylon, 19, is the first-ever plus-size model to compete for a major beauty title in Peru. She has defied the school bullies who called her a hog by reaching the finals. Baylon, from the Lima region of Peru, cried when she heard she made it to the final ten of the 2016 Miss Peru Universe. The curvy beauty queen has spoken out previously about being bullied by fellow students because of her size and shape.
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Baylon has made it through the first round of 31 contestants and she will now compete in the final this month for the 2016 Miss Peru Universe title. The results were televised as part of a reality TV show. Baylon’s emotional reaction can be seen when she finds out she made it through to the final.
In the video, Baylon says, “Thank you. You have no idea how pleased I am to have this opportunity. Thank you, thank you.” Baylon is an architecture student. She has spoken of her weight issues and how she had weight loss for health reasons before the competition.
She added, “I’ve dropped 20 kilos (3.15 stone) in three months and I hope I can lose even more for better results. I’ve eaten healthily and done a lot of exercise. People called me fat and said I was a hog at university, and I had people talking behind my back. I’m a little nervous, but I’m happy I’ve put all my effort into it because I want to win Miss Peru Universe 2016.”
The 2015 winner of Miss Peru Universe, Saura Spoya, posted a photo on her Instagram page with the plus-size model. She said it was a dream to have met Mirella.