Primed for Princess: Miss Universe trained hard to achieve her title

Ask a little girl in the United States to name a princess and she'll probably answer with a Disney character. Ask a little girl in Venezuela the same question and she'll quickly reply "Stefania Fernandez."

Fernandez, 19, was crowned Miss Universe a year ago and will bobby pin a giant tiara on her successor Monday night at Mandalay Bay. Here, she's another pageant queen, but in Venezuela she's nothing short of an A-list celebrity.

After she won Miss Venezuela, Fernandez couldn't leave the house without Latin paparazzi surprising her at every turn. Pre-sash and crown, she visited the gym with nothing on her face but a smile. Her overnight fame quickly changed that practice. "They're always taking pictures," she says. "I never leave the house (in Venezuela) without full makeup."

Not just lip gloss and mascara. She's talking camera-ready cosmetics. Without it, she'd wind up in some publication looking less like the image of a beauty queen and more like a regular woman. She can't have that and her home country certainly can't, either.

"In Venezuela beauty is very important," she says. "Every child there talks about Miss Venezuela."

They don't just talk about her, they train to one day be her. Many young girls there begin taking professional pageant classes after school at age 6. That includes oratory lessons, learning to walk in high heels, applying their own makeup and styling their hair. Kiddie pageants in the United States -- overbearing parents, spray-on tans and all -- can seem lackadaisical in comparison. The commitment and discipline level isn't unlike an Olympic athlete's.

It certainly explains why the South American country is no stranger to the Miss Universe crown. In fact, Fernandez's win marked the first time the title was bestowed on the same country in two consecutive years as Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza, also hailed from Venezuela.

Fernandez had only competed in two other pageants before taking her run all the way to the top last year. In her first go at the crown, a judge told her she should stop competing because she didn't have what it took. Sixteen at the time, she turned his advice into the fuel she needed to jumpstart her determination.

Ironically, winning Miss Venezuela may have meant instant stardom with cameras constantly tailing her, but when she took it all the way and won Miss Universe, things changed. Moving to New York City to live in an apartment with Miss USA meant a downgrade in fame. She's only occasionally recognized on the streets and it's usually by people from Latin countries. Once she returns home to spend time with her family and go to college, however, she'll reclaim her celebrity status. "(Miss Venezuela) is very famous there," she says. "(She's) a big celebrity."

The Miss Universe pageant airs at 9 p.m. EST Monday on NBC.