Alisson Abarca (born 25 January 1996 in

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

) is a

Salvadoran Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvado ...

model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe El Salvador 2017. She represented

at the

Miss Universe 2017 Miss Universe 2017 was the 66th Miss Universe pageant, held at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on November 26, 2017. At the end of the event, Iris Mittenaere of France crowned Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Af ...

pageant.

Pageantry

Miss Universe El Salvador 2017

Abarca was crowned Miss Universe El Salvador 2017 on July 7, 2017, and competed at

but did not place. She was the subject of some controversy in El Salvador for having some plastic surgery after her national win and before the Miss Universe pageant.Lemus, Carmen (27 August 2017)
Miss El Salvador 2017 antes y después de la cirugía de belleza ¿Notas las diferencias?
, ''El Mundo'' (El Salvador)Lemus, Carmen (24 November 2017)
Miss Universo El Salvador más cerca de la corona
, ''El Mundo'' (El Salvador)

Miss Universe 2017

As Miss Universe El Salvador, she competed at the

pageant. She gave all her press junket interviews in English, which has not been common for prior representatives from the country.(21 November 2017)
Alisson Abarca no le tiene miedo a hablar en inglés en Miss Universo
, ''El Mundo'' (El Salvador)

Personal

Abarca was the

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

of her class in high school and speaks English fluently. Abarca is seeking a bachelor's degree in English and hopes to become an English teacher. Abarca was still a university student when she was crowned Miss Universe El Salvador in 2017. She received both criticism and support for using cosmetic surgery, including breast enhancement, to improve her appearance in preparation for the Miss Universe pageant. Abarca says she is not ashamed. During the Miss Universe pageant, Abarca dressed in an elaborate costume as "Goddess of the River Lempa." However, during her performance she tripped several times over the fake boat from her costume and couldn't finish the catwalk. Although it likely contributed to her loss, she received an outpouring of support from her fans. Abarca enjoys soccer, softball, singing and belly dancing. She volunteers at a local orphanage and at her church. She is 1.65 meters (5'4") tall, and has been criticized as being too short for pageantry.

References

External links