Bárbara Palacios Teyde

Career

Barbara's first approach with Miss Venezuela was when she was barely twelve years old, when, in the company of her mother, they met Osmel Sousa, and he told her "Your Barbarita one day you will be Miss Venezuela", to which she replied that she would never participate. At 17, Sousa called her again, inviting her to participate, but she ruled out the contest, because she was working to pay for her university studies and was not interested in being a beauty queen. Sousa convinced her in 1986.

Already a graduate and being a junior advertising executive, at 22 years of age she represented the Trujillo State in the 1986 edition of Miss Venezuela, performed at the Municipal Theater of the city of Caracas. She won the contest and received the crown from Silvia Martínez, Miss Venezuela 1985. In addition, she won the 1986 Miss South America in Caracas, Venezuela, where she also won the band as "Miss Photogenic South America" and then was the third Venezuelan to win the Miss Universe crown, which she obtained in Panama City on 21 July 1986.

Palacios has worked as a television host for over two decades, and has been a spokesperson for multinational corporations in the United States and Latin America. She founded several advertising agencies, and owns Barbara Palacios Corporation, a United States–based company that commercializes women products, with lines of jewelry and beauty products sold in stores under her name in Florida.

Personal life Palacios married Víctor Manrique in 1988. They have two sons, Víctor Tomás and Diego Alfonso.