#38. Maria Elvira Salazar

The Ultimate 50

38. Maria Elvira Salazar

2010 Update

Maria Elvira Live is gaining a national audience, thanks to satellite TV subscribers who can dial in Mega TV. Salazar is also now an author; click on the book at her program's web site to see a video clip displaying her varying hairstyles over more than 20 years. As of mid-2010, she displayed shoulder-length waves which frequently look fabulous on the air in a studio.

But what happens when Salazar steps outside? She went on location to interview an alleged UFO expert -- and spurts of wind from the side and back tested her Super-Hair to the uttermost. Salazar turned her shoulders for a moment to check her notes, and exposed a hidden shortest layer which is trimmed to the cheekbone. Yet that hair went around the right eye.

Another gust attacked the style -- but a small strip of hair curves above the eye, bouncing off Salazar's forehead.

And look carefully at this ultimately dramatic moment -- as that small strip which should fall in Salazar's eye instead splits in two at the edge, and goes around it! We've never seen a miraculous hair escape like this!

You can watch YouTube clips of the entire hour - and tell us if you spot a moment where Salazar's hair actually falls in her eye. We don't think it did. So until we see evidence otherwise, this woman remains remarkably undefeated. No wonder her book title translates into English as: "If God is for you, who can be against you?"

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2008 Update

"Maria Elvira Live" is the title of her current nightly news/talk show on Miami Spanish-language television (huh, not en Vivo?!) - and wow, is her hair livelier than ever! The current style is longer than we've ever seen on her. But she seems to have made an effective switch from rock-solid hold to flexing bouncy waves.

A wind may still blow the hair back and straighten it out somewhat, but we still haven't seen it down in her face. And the good news for Hair Fans is that the Mega TV web site shows not one or two video clips of Salazar's hair in action, but dozens. ﹔ue impresivo es todo!

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2006 Update

Salazar seems to have settled into a routine in Miami -- hosting her two-hour local talk show each night, along with an hour on radio in the afternoons. She also seems to get out on the Miami party circuit; this picture from the web site of Univision's "Cristina" shows an unusually slick-looking pulled-back look. It's not pinned back, but pulled behind the ears for control.

This photo from the Miami Herald shows Salazar's style at what we consider its best, with both front and side views. The waviness is well-displayed -- and well in place.

Yet we're disappointed in this update for two reasons. First, Salazar was quickly dismissed by voters in our Miami City League competition -- showing our high opinion of this still-enduring style is apparently in the minority. Second, her web site was under renovation when we checked it early in 2006. May it come back new and improved soon.

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2004 Update

What a nice discovery we've made about this woman! Salazar has grown her hair back to its late-80's length (our preference) as she hosts a nightly talk show on a Miami TV station. On top of that, she apparently blows the hair back a bit (it's naturally wavy, we think) and locks it in place with spray. This approach has movement, yet control and strength.

Salazar also has a personal web site now, but it's lacking in pictures. If we ever "Confronta" her, we'll demand some.

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2002 Update

Salazar's current look has not changed much in the last couple of years -- sideparted, short and solid. No doubt it's sprayed for her Telemundo newscasts, too. This photo for Miami radio station WQBA indicates there's teasing on top to steer her hair in the right direction.

We found this picture on the Telemundo web site. If anything, it shows the style a bit softer and slightly weaker. It suggests her hair has some "give" to it - with room to maneuver, without collapsing completely.

But it was the longer, softer look that put Salazar on our list originally. Here's a look at it from her early days at CBS Telenoticias. The long hair appears turned over on the vulnerable side, providing a subtle extra level of defense before it's sprayed.

Salazar actually has worked for Telemundo twice -- the first time years ago, when the network was in partnership with CNN. The Atlanta newspaper Mundo Hispanico did a "behind-the-scenes" story on that newscast, and shot this photo moments before air time. While the hair doesn't look that harsh and seems flexible, we understand she used a professional "bonding cement" spray to lock the style in place.

Here's an even looser version, with a more open wave as opposed to a full curl. It's the same as the background style shown on Salazar's main page, only perhaps slightly affected by a breeze. It's quite tempting to touch, but still controlled. (Note the left side seems tucked behind the ears, just for safety.)

Our last photo is from the night her style struggled in south Florida, as we mention on Salazar's main page. (We have a tape from this newscast, but so far no way of transferring it for posting.) You can see a bang or two appearing weak, but only falling on the forehead.

She passed this tough test, and supports one of our theories about Super-Hair: the women with the greatest styles find a way for their styles to win, no matter what the challenge.

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