“It’s not the end of the world once you’re married!” says Olga Torner over cappuccinos in Kyiv’s newly opened Almondo Restaurant and Club; a classy venue for a classy lady.
This is particularly the case for Torner, 28, a Ukrainian model and currently a TV presenter at Ukrainian news channel News One, as she’s been crowned Mrs. Universe.
Torner won the Mrs. Universe beauty pageant, held in Guangzhou, China, on Sept. 4 – at the same time as G20 summit. Seventy married beauties made their way to the city to compete for the prestigious title of “the most beautiful and honorable married woman in the universe.”
Beaming, Torner speaks of her victory, and why she decided to enter her first major beauty pageant.
“I decided to enter the competition so I could show that when women get married, give birth to children and have housework to do, they can still be beautiful and compete in global beauty contests,” she says.
With her long, loosely curled brunette locks, green Slavic eyes as bright as her crown, which sits in front of her, and perfect white smile, there’s little doubt Torner was a worthy winner.
Dressed casually in a cream jumper, white jeans and a pair of fashionable fur-detail trainers, her natural beauty shines out without the need for excessive make-up or a glittery ball gown.
Although originally from Kyiv, Torner now lives in Vienna with her Austrian husband, who works in the sphere of nanotechnology for medical applications. She has been living in Austria for three years, and so competed for Mrs. Universe under the Austrian flag.
“I tried to represent Ukraine in the competition, but their regulations prevented me from doing so,” she says.
However, Torner has always been fond of Austria and for years regularly visited the country because her brother was living there.
She now commutes regularly between Vienna and Kyiv to work at News One.
But Mrs. Universe is not just about having a pretty face. This year, contestants had to produce a speech and presentation about domestic violence. Torner said she had been shocked to discover the scale of domestic violence in the world.
“One in every four women suffers from domestic abuse, and these statistics even apply to countries like Austria,” the model says.
As well as giving an emotional and moving speech, which she said had her and half the audience in tears, Torner has also posted a video to social media to raise awareness about the issue. It’s clearly a subject she feels strongly about.
“Don’t be silent. Silence hides the violence,” she says.
A passionate speaker and strong advocate for helping others, she spoke of her philanthropic contributions – something that is mandatory for entry into the Mrs. Universe competition. Her charity foundation Blagoserdie provides assistance to orphans, orphanages, families with premature babies, single mothers, pregnant women in difficult situations, and to the construction and reconstruction of Orthodox churches.
“People often ask me if I founded this charity just for the contest, but I actually founded it two years ago – I’ve always been a person who loves helping others,” she says.
Torner said her love of children was the impetus for her setting up this charity.
“I love children so much. I want a big family in the future with six children… or maybe 10; six to whom I’ll give birth, and four adopted,” she says.
Finding a unique and perfect evening dress proved particularly difficult, she said.
“I looked in six countries trying to find the dress I wanted to wear at the competition…” Torner recalls. “I eventually found one in Kyiv.”
She ended up buying a stunning white fitted and diamond encrusted gown from a wedding shop on Antonovycha Street in Kyiv.
In addition to an evening gown, contestants were also required to wear their country’s national costume; a category in which Torner won first place with her Empress Elizabeth of Austria inspired dress, including the empress’s distinct floral decoration running through her hair.
“I decided to find an outfit based on Elizabeth instead of wearing a traditional Dirndl,” she says, explaining her choice. “Empress Elizabeth paid attention to her beauty, so that was well suited for Mrs. Universe.”
Torner said there is a stark contrast in attitudes to physical appearance between people in Ukraine and Austria.
“Austria’s beauty industry is not developed like Ukraine’s… I would have a balance between Austria and Ukraine, because in Austria they don’t really pay any attention (to beauty), but in Ukraine girls usually do much more than they need to.”
Torner herself favors a more natural look, and doesn’t approve of plastic surgery, such as breast enhancements, believing that such surgery is only necessary to correct an imperfection. In addition, she says she regards inner beauty as being of much greater significance.
“Girls should worry more about their personality,” she says. “Even if you have some blemishes on your face, if you are smiling then your beauty will shine through.”
