Beauty with brains

Press, 3 September 1982, Page 1

Beauty with brains

Beauty is not just skin deep, according to “Miss World, 1981,” Pilin Leon (left). The most important thing was to show all that was inside, she said. “If you don’t show your heart it is only a beautiful face.” In Christchurch yesterday, Miss Leon also rejected any idea that beauty and brains do not mix. She believes they go together very well; she plans to continue a computer engineering degree when her term as “Miss World” is over. Miss Leon, aged 19, gave pure mathematics as her main interest but said there were not many jobs in her home country, Venezuela, that required a degree in this Once qualified, she hopes to work with computers in a big company. Being “Miss World” had meant much international travel, including visits to Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil, Jamaica, and the. United States. Miss Leon did not mind travelling. - . “If you want to meet people, you have to move about. I have enjoyed meeting people and seeing the different cultures,” she said. Most of her time in the countries she visited was spent raising money for children’s homes. Visiting children and getting hugs, kisses and flowers from them was an enjoyable aspect of being “Miss World.” Miss Leon has been impressed by New Zealand’s beautiful countryside’and the warmth and friendliness shown to her by people. Miss Leon is on a 10-day tour of New Zealand with “Miss New Zealand” and her runners-up, modelling clothes in department stores.