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Vargas was the first Brazilian to win the title of Miss Universe, at the age of 18, on July 20, 1963, in Miami Beach. For Brazilians at the time, beauty pageants had as much popularity and nationwide importance as soccer and the World Cup, and the Miss Brazil competition was considered the best organized and publicized national beauty contest in the world by Miss Universe Inc., the then organizer of the Pageant.
On her visit to Brazil, shortly after winning, she was greeted by millions of people along the streets as she paraded in Brasilia, and was received by President João Goulart, in Rio de Janeiro, under large amounts of shredded paper thrown from nearby office buildings, and in Porto Alegre, her hometown.
On August 1, 1964, Vargas ended her contractual obligations, after the crowning of her successor, Greek Corinna Tsopei. Later, she lived in Miami for a few years, returned to Brazil, and eventually married and had a son, Rafael, and a daughter, Fernanda, withdrawing from public life.
In 2000, Vargas suffered a stroke, which left her with long-term complications.
