Welch was raised in the Presbyterian religion and attended Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church every Sunday with her family. Alt URL As a young girl, Welch had the desire to be a performer and entertainer. She began studying ballet at age seven, but after ten years of study, she left the art at seventeen when her instructor told her she did not have the right body type for professional ballet companies. At age 14, she won beauty titles as Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour. While attending La Jolla High School she won the title of Miss La Jolla and the title of Miss San Diegothe Fairest of the Fairat the San Diego County Fair. This long line of beauty contests eventually led to the state title of Maid of California.Stone, Joe. (June 24, 1958). "Fairest Queen's a Triple-A Girl" Evening Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from The San Diego Tribune. Her parents divorced when she finished her school years.Welch, Raquel. (2010). Raquel Welch: Beyond the Cleavage. New York: Weinstein Books. pp. 3–28.
Welch was raised in the Presbyterian religion and attended Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church every Sunday with her family. Alt URL As a young girl, Welch had the desire to be a performer and entertainer. She began studying ballet at age seven, but after ten years of study, she left the art at seventeen when her instructor told her she did not have the right body type for professional ballet companies. At age 14, she won beauty titles as Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour. While attending La Jolla High School she won the title of Miss La Jolla and the title of Miss San Diegothe Fairest of the Fairat the San Diego County Fair. This long line of beauty contests eventually led to the state title of Maid of California.Stone, Joe. (June 24, 1958). "Fairest Queen's a Triple-A Girl" Evening Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from The San Diego Tribune. Her parents divorced when she finished her school ye.ars.Welch, Raquel. (2010) Raquel Welch: Beyond the Cleavage. New York: Weinstein Books. pp. 3–28.