Günseli Başar

Günseli Başar is known for having been crowned Miss Turkey in 1951 and then Miss Europe in 1952. She first began studying fashion at the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1951, she was elected Miss Turkey. The following year, encouraged by her professors, she entered the Miss Europe pageant and won. She first married a businessman, then divorced and married the mayor of Izmir. From this union, a daughter was born: Aslı Tunca. Aslı went on to spend the rest of her life as a columnist. Günseli had the honor of serving as a model for a monument to Atatürk, where she represented a young Turkish girl, child of the homeland. She spent her final years with her daughter Asli. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's for two years and passed away on April 20, 2013. I haven't found a more detailed biography, but she seemed to possess a real artistic sensitivity and self- assurance, since she was a columnist and had studied art. She probably came from a well-off background, too.

What I find beautiful about the face of this icon is that she truly lives up to her name "Günseli" ("sunflower"), as she radiates a luminous aura. She has round cheeks, high cheekbones, dimples, heart-shaped lips, a small curved nose, and expressive thick eyebrows that highlight the refined, noble look in her slightly round, downward-slanting brown eyes. The roundness of her face gives her a traditional quality that aligns with our modern neotonous beauty standards. I think she looked modern both in term of personnality but also of looks. She also had a very solar beauty.