25 July 1965
18-year-old Pook wins Miss Universe
A high school student, Apasra ‘Pook’ Hongsakula, 18, won the 1965 Miss Universe competition in Miami, Florida.
The 162cm, 53kg, dark-haired beauty from Bangkok became the first Thai to win the title. ‘I never dreamed of this. I pray to Buddha every night before I go to sleep. Last night I prayed, not to win, but that I might be one of the top five,’ she said.
The daughter of Air Force Group Captain Perm Hongsakula, Pook had previously won the 1964 Miss Thailand competition. Though her nickname translates as ‘fatty’ in Thai, her Miss Universe success indirectly boosted the confidence of many Thai women. Pook said she was inspired by Queen Sirikit. ‘I could never be as lovely as she,’ Pook said.
A Thai government official said the Thai teenager’s victory ‘had done the work of 10 goodwill missions’ and ‘stirred a new interest in Thailand, awakened by the 1960 state visit of Their Majesties to the US’.
25 July 1965
18-year-old Pook wins Miss Universe
A high school student, Apasra ‘Pook’ Hongsakula, 18, won the 1965 Miss Universe competition in Miami, Florida.
The 162cm, 53kg, dark-haired beauty from Bangkok became the first Thai to win the title. ‘I never dreamed of this. I pray to Buddha every night before I go to sleep. Last night I prayed, not to win, but that I might be one of the top five,’ she said.
The daughter of Air Force Group Captain Perm Hongsakula, Pook had previously won the 1964 Miss Thailand competition. Though her nickname translates as ‘fatty’ in Thai, her Miss Universe success indirectly boosted the confidence of many Thai women. Pook said she was inspired by Queen Sirikit. ‘I could never be as lovely as she,’ Pook said.
A Thai government official said the Thai teenager’s victory ‘had done the work of 10 goodwill missions’ and ‘stirred a new interest in Thailand, awakened by the 1960 state visit of Their Majesties to the US’.