# Miss Universe 1955

Miss Universe 1955 was the 4th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States on 22 July 1955. This is the first time that the pageant was televised.
At the end of the event, Miriam Stevenson of the United States crowned Hillevi Rombin of the Sweden as Miss Universe 1955. It is the first victory of Sweden in the history of the pageant.
Contestants from thirty-three countries and territories competed in this edition. The pageant was hosted by Bob Russell.

## Background
### Selection of participants

Contestants from thirty-three countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. The age requirement in this edition is still from eighteen to twenty-eight, where women who are married and have children can also participate.

#### Debuts, returns, and withdrawals

The 1955 edition saw the debuts of Ceylon, Ecuador, England, Guatemala, Lebanon, and Nicaragua, and the return of Venezuela who last competed in 1953. Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Singapore, and Thailand withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Expected to compete are Karin Rasmussen of Denmark, Gladir Leopardi of Egypt, Angelina Kalkhoven of Holland, and Suna Soley of Turkey. However, these women withdrew due to undisclosed reasons.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss Universe 1955 | Sweden – Hillevi Rombin |
| 1st runner-up | El Salvador – Maribel Arrieta |
| 2nd runner-up | Ceylon – Maureen Hingert |
| 3rd runner-up | West Germany – Margit Nünke |
| 4th runner-up | Japan – Keiko Takahashi |
| Top 15 | Argentina – Isabel Sarli  Belgium – Nicole De Mayer  Brazil – Emília Barreto  Canada – Cathy Diggles  England – Margaret Rowe  Guatemala – María del Rosario Molina  Honduras – Pastora Pagán  Norway – Solveig Borstad  United States – Carlene King Johnson  Venezuela – Susana Duijm |

### Special awards

| Award | Contestant |
| Miss Friendship | El Salvador – Maribel Arrieta |
| Miss Popular Girl | England – Margaret Rowe |
| Best Dressed Girl | Nicaragua – Rosa Argentina Lacayo |

## Pageant
### Format

From sixteen in the previous edition, fifteen semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. Each of the fifteen semi-finalists gave a short speech during the final telecast using their native languages. Afterwards, the fifteen semi-finalists paraded again in their swimsuits and evening gowns, and the five finalists were eventually chosen.

### Selection committee

* Myrna Hansen – Miss USA 1953 from Illinois

## Contestants

Thirty-three contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
| Alaska | Lorna McLeod | 22 | Fairbanks |
| Argentina | Isabel Sarli | 25 | Buenos Aires |
| Belgium | Nicole De Mayer | 19 | Ghent |
| Brazil | Emília Barreto | 21 | Fortaleza |
| Canada | Cathy Diggles | 20 | Toronto |
| Ceylon | Maureen Hingert | 18 | Colombo |
| Chile | Rosa Merello | 18 | Santiago |
| Costa Rica | Clemencia Martínez | 22 | San José |
| Cuba | Gilda Marín | 26 | Havana |
| Ecuador | Leonor Carcache | 21 | Guayaquil |
| El Salvador | Maribel Arrieta | 19 | San Salvador |
| England | Margaret Rowe | 19 | London |
| Finland | Sirkku Talja | 19 | Helsinki |
| France | Claude Petit | 18 | Aulnay-sous-Bois |
| West Germany | Margit Nünke | 24 | Cologne |
| Greece | Sonia Zoidou | 18 | Athens |
| Guatemala | María del Rosario Molina | 18 | Guatemala City |
| Honduras | Pastora Pagán | 18 | San Pedro Sula |
| Israel | Ilana Carmel | 19 | Bat Yam |
| Italy | Elena Fancera | 20 | Rome |
| Japan | Keiko Takahashi | 20 | Tokyo |
| Lebanon | Hanya Beydoun | 18 | Beirut |
| Mexico | Yolanda Mayen | 18 | Tijuana |
| Nicaragua | Rosa Argentina Lacayo | 19 | Managua |
| Norway | Solveig Borstad | 23 | Oslo |
| Philippines | Yvonne de los Reyes | 19 | Manila |
| Puerto Rico | Carmen Laura Betancourt | 20 | Rio Piedras |
| South Korea | Kim Mee-chong | 22 | Busan |
| Sweden | Hillevi Rombin | 21 | Uppsala |
| United States | Carlene King Johnson | 22 | Rutland |
| Uruguay | Inge Hoffmann | 19 | Montevideo |
| Venezuela | Susana Duijm | 18 | Caracas |
| West Indies | Noreen Campbell | 18 | Port of Spain |