Just like the Olympics, only much prettier, was the scene in Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong this past December 13. There was a chill in the night air--yes, that certain electricity--as some 2000 people settled into their seats to witness a global celebration of beauty: Playboy magazine, along with its 13 international editions, was staging the first-ever Miss Playboy International pageant. If the event promised to be an evening of magic, putting it all together had required plenty of no-nonsense planning and teamwork. Over the course of the week, Playboy editors, art directors and photographers had swarmed into Hong Kong, headquarters for our Chinese-language edition, from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, West Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and the United States--each individual lending an expert hand to the proceedings, each country represented by Playboy's best. Ultimately, of course, the contestants stole the show. There were 14, each of whom had already appeared in her country's edition of Playboy--either as a Playmate or as a model. Clearly, the judges' job would be as tough as it was enviable.
At precisely 9:30 P.M., the pageant began--despite last-minute demonstrations by the Christian Theological Society of Hong Kong, which deemed the show not-quite-ready-for-prime-time Chinese television. Evidently, the protesters had not done their homework: Not only did the local viewers tune into the live broadcast, they loved it. In the end, TVB, the station that aired the event, would grab an astonishing 95 percent audience share, as home viewers watched the pageant entrants parade before the cameras wearing a variety of outfits, including bathing suit, evening dress and national costume. The judges carefully jotted notes as beauty went head to head with beauty. By 11 P.M., they'd made their decision: The crown of Miss Playboy International and $25,000 were awarded to Luma de Oliveira, the Brazilian bombshell who'd made her first Playboy appearance only four months earlier. Second place and $15,000 were nabbed by Italy's striking Marta Duca and third place was given to America's own Lynne Austin--Miss July 1986--who received $10,000 for her efforts. An additional $3000 was handed over to Luma as winner of the Editors' Choice Award--an honor determined by a multinational panel of Playboy editors and photographers. Their choice was unanimous.
The pageant was the brain child of Albert Cheng, Editor and Publisher of Playboy's Chinese-language edition. Cheng bounced the idea off Playboy Photo Director Gary Cole, Managing Photo Editor Jeff Cohen, Dutch Editor Jan Heemskerk and the company's Director of International Publishing, Haresh Shah--and the five men stoked the spark of fantasy into a blazing reality. "In the end," says Shah, "it was more than just a beauty pageant. It was a clear illustration of my concept of Playboy's editions: We are a family. And what a reunion we had!"
