(Eagle News) — Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu won the 2021 Miss Universe pageant held in Israel on Sunday, Dec. 12 (Monday, Dec. 13 Philippine time) besting 79 other candidates representing their countries.
The 21-year old model and actress won for her answer to the question, “What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today?.” This was the same question asked to the two other Miss Universe candidates who made it to the top three — South Africa’s Lalela Mswane and Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira.
Miss India answered, “Well, I think the biggest pressure the youth is facing today is to believe in themselves.”
Sandhu advised young people all over the world to believe in themselves and to stop comparing themselves with others.
“To know that you are unique and that’s what makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourselves with others and let’s talk about more important things that’s happening worldwide. I think this is what you need to understand. Come out. Speak for yourself because you are the leader of your life, you are the voice of your own. I believed in myself and that’s why I’m standing here today,” she said.
South Africa’s candidate Mswane, 24, a law graduate and model, was named second runner-up, while Paraguay’s Ferreira, a 22-year old professional model was the first runner-up.
Mswane, answering the same question, implored young women today to “choose courage over comfort every opportunity they get” while Ferreire said she wants all women, all persons “to do what they were meant to do” whatever the challenges they face.
The Philippines’ bet Beatrice Luigi Gomez made it to the top five of the pageant, but failed to advance to the final top three.
Gomez was asked about mandating vaccine passports and said she was all for it in the interest of public health.
During the top five question and answer portion, the question given to the Philippines’ bet was this: “Given the ever-changing COVID situation, what is your opinion of mandating a universal vaccine passport?”
Gomez answered: “I believe that public health is everyone’s responsibility, and to mandate vaccine inoculation is necessary. If mandating vaccine passports would help us in regulating the rollouts of vaccine, and mitigating the situation of the pandemic today, then I would agree on mandating the necessary passport of vaccination. Thank you.”
Gomez and Miss Colombia’s Valeria Maria Ayos Bossa, were in the beauty pageant’s top five.
-80 candidates-
Women from 80 countries vied for the Miss Universe crown in the Israeli city of Eilat on Sunday, with several contestants defying pressure to boycott in support of the Palestinians.
The 70th edition of the annual pageant, being held in Israel for the first time, has also faced complications from the coronavirus pandemic.
Among those challenging for top prize are Miss Morocco Kawtar Benhalima and Miss Bahrain Manar Nadeem Deyani, whose majority Muslim nations normalised ties with Israel last year.
South Africa’s Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts had urged its contestant to stay away from Eilat, citing “atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians.”
The call echoed Palestinian groups who pleaded with contestants to avoid the event.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel wrote: “We urge all participants to withdraw, to avoid complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime and its violation of Palestinian human rights.”
Despite those calls, Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane was in the Red Sea resort city, where the final competition gets underway overnight before the 2021 winner is named at roughly 0300 GMT Monday.
In an interview with AFP in Jerusalem late last month, reigning Miss Universe Andrea Meza, of Mexico, said the pageant should steer clear of politics.
“Miss Universe isn’t a political movement, nor a religious one. It’s about women and what they can offer.”
Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, have not sent contestants but both cited complications related to the pandemic, not Israel’s rights record.
The United Arab Emirates, which also normalised ties with Israel last year and where Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was to make a historic visit Sunday, has also not sent a candidate.
But the UAE said that was “due to time constraints,” in selecting its national winner.
– ‘Criticism’ –
Contestants for the pageant landed in Israel late last month and have since toured sites, sometimes coming under criticism for cultural insensitivity.
In one stop in the Bedouin city of Rahat, the candidates wore robes with traditional Palestinian embroidery while rolling grape leaves — which Miss Philippines Beatrice Luigi Gomez tweeted was a “Day in the life of a Bedouin.”
The Bedouin are a traditionally nomadic people who belong to the community of Palestinian citizens of Israel. They have long complained of discrimination in housing and education.
“Colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, patriarchy, whitewashing, all in one place,” tweeted Ines Abdel Razek of the advocacy group the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy.
Participants in the pageant, which was co-owned by Donald Trump before he became US president, must be between the ages of 18 and 28 and may never have married or had a child.
According to organisers, the coronation ceremony will be watched by 600 million viewers in 172 countries.
with a report from Agence France-Presse