Foto: Korawat Yatfun
Paula Assunção announces model training project in Foz do Iguaçu and highlights diversity within the fashion and beauty pageant industries
Miss Grand Brazil 2026, Paula Assunção, is combining her preparations to represent Brazil at Miss Grand International with new projects focused on the fashion industry and model training. Among these initiatives is the creation of Miss Brasil Models (MB Models), a modelling and beauty pageant school that will be established in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Paula’s home city.
The project was developed in partnership with Patrícia Figueiredo and aims to provide training for children, young people and adults interested in entering the worlds of fashion and beauty pageants. In addition to catwalk preparation, the school will cover areas such as posture, communication, body language, personal image, self-esteem, discipline and professional development.
According to Paula, the initiative is directly connected to her own journey. She explains that she entered her first beauty pageant at the age of five, alongside Patrícia Figueiredo, and that their reunion 25 years later helped inspire the creation of MB Models.
The project also seeks to reach people who do not identify with the standards traditionally associated with the fashion industry. Its aim is to broaden access to professional training and provide support so that students can develop their individual characteristics and find career opportunities within the sector.
Alongside the project, Paula serves as an ambassador for Passarela Inclusiva, an initiative promoting diversity within the fashion and beauty pageant industries. She believes that the presence of different profiles on the catwalk helps to increase representation and change perceptions of conventional beauty standards.
“When we bring diversity to the catwalk, we are not merely presenting fashion. We are telling those watching that there is also a place for them,” she says.
In the view of Miss Grand Brazil 2026, beauty pageants can also play a social role by increasing the representation of different stories and profiles. Paula believes that the role of a beauty queen today extends beyond aesthetics and involves taking responsibility for the visibility provided by the title.
She argues that contestants should use the platforms associated with beauty pageants to draw attention to important causes and expand opportunities. In this context, she considers representation to be a powerful tool capable of encouraging other people to occupy spaces that once seemed inaccessible.
International preparations
Paula’s main professional goal at present is to compete in Miss Grand International, which will be held in Thailand. The Brazilian representative says she has been following a preparation routine covering several aspects of the competition, including catwalk skills, communication, interviews, body language, personal image, and physical and mental preparation.
Her experience in Asia is also part of this process. According to Paula, spending time in the region has helped her gain a better understanding of the international competition’s dynamics and identity.
“Representing Brazil at Miss Grand International is an immense honour and the fulfilment of one of the greatest dreams of my life,” she says.
Paula says she intends to present an image of Brazil associated with diversity, culture and representation during the competition. Inclusion, she adds, will remain one of the central causes guiding her work throughout her preparations and participation in the pageant.
In addition to pursuing the international title, Paula intends to use the visibility provided by Miss Grand International to develop projects, strengthen the organisation’s presence in Brazil and build a closer relationship between the competition and the Brazilian public.
For Miss Grand Brazil 2026, winning a crown represents the achievement of a personal goal, but it also brings responsibilities that continue beyond the competition. With this in mind, she intends to connect her journey within the beauty industry with projects focused on training, inclusion and the development of new talent.
