Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe in the Israeli city of Eilat early on Monday (Dec 13).
Ms Harnaaz Sandhu took the top prize in the Red Sea resort town, with Paraguay’s Ms Nadia Ferreira as first runner-up and Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane taking the second runner-up spot.
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty pageant that is run by the United States–based Miss Universe Organization. It is one of the most watched pageants in the world with an estimated audience of over 500 million viewers in over 190 territories.
The new Miss Universe is…India!!!! #MISSUNIVERSE pic.twitter.com/DTiOKzTHl4
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 13, 2021
‘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.
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“Colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, patriarchy, whitewashing, all in one place,” tweeted Ines Abdel Razek of advocacy group Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy.
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Participants in the pageant, which was co-owned by Mr Donald Trump before he became United States president, must be between the ages of 18 and 28, among other requirements.
According to organisers, the coronation ceremony will be watched by 600 million viewers in 172 countries.
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