She has already shown off her perfectly sculpted face, but kept the rest of her near perfect figure from the public eye, at least for now.

But what, Nazanin Afshin-Jam of Vancouver really wants to capture is your imagination.

"I'm a woman, I'm Iranian, I'm Canadian, says the demure University of British Columbia graduate who with her long silky hair and deep brown eyes will officially carry the Canadian Maple Leaf at the Miss World contest in December.

The-24-year-old beauty will also become the first" unofficial"representative of her homeland, Iran. There had been beauty contests before the arrival of Islamic fundamentalists to power in Iran, but there has never been a candidate for the Miss World pageant. I'm the first," said Nazanin.

Her parents fled Iran with the overthrown of the Shah. She was only one year old at the time and has never returned.

Nazanin Afshin-Jam of Vancouver

"I'm very honoured, but it really doesn't have a symbolic value for me," said Nazanin in an interview posted on the pageant's website. At five feet eight inches tall and with apenchant for chocolate and donuts, which does not show, Nazanin has already caused some stirring of opinion in Iran and amongst conservative Muslims across the globe.

The chatter on the Internet ranges from appreciation to frownings.

For Nazanin, who was raised a Christian despite coming from predominantly Muslim Iran, her participation in the beauty pageant is a reflection of the demands of women from her homeland who want the same human rights as she is accustomed to in Canada.

"I think the Conservatives should be proud of me, even themselves, because it's the year where, we, Iranian woman are showing our freedom," she said, referring to Shirine Ebadi, the recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Her candidacy also comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding Miss Afghanistan parading in a swimsuit.

"I'd like to make a difference in this world," she said, saying the Miss World crown would allow her to "promote humanitarian aid for children worldwide, especially those affected by war or anti-personnel mines."

A graduate of international relations and political science, this polyglot student who speaks Farsi, English, and French would like to become a foreign correspondent or a producer of documentaries.

Her role model is Christiane Amanpour, CNN's star correspondent, who is also of Iranian descent.

Nazanin is listed as a favourite by bookmakers to win this year's Miss World which is being held in Sanya, China.