Harnaz Sandhu of India was crowned Miss Universe 2021 This Sunday (12) marks the end of a controversial competition organized this year in South Israel.
In a speech on stage during the competition, Sandhu asked young people to “know that you are unique and that is what makes you beautiful, and stop comparing yourself to others.”
“I believed in myself, which is why I’m here today,” she added to the applause of the crowd.
The competition was held in the tourist city of Eilat, where 80 women from all over the world competed for the crown. Sunday night was the last day of the competition, with eliminations reducing the number of finalists until the last two remained.
Nadia Ferreira of Paraguay and Elila Meswan of South Africa took second and third places, respectively.
The contest was hosted by comedian Steve Harvey, who once asked Sandow in the evening, “I hear you’re doing some good animal imitation, let’s hear your best.”
Harvey was later criticized online for highlighting what many suggested was an inappropriate question.
“Oh my Steve, I didn’t expect to do this on the world stage. I have to do this, I have no other choice. Get ready, everyone,” she said, amazed before showing some meowing.
In a later question-and-answer session, when Sandhu reached the top five, she took the opportunity to spread the word about climate change. “This is the time to act and talk less,” she said. “Prevention and prevention are better than repentance and reform.”
After her victory was announced, she celebrated with other contestants on stage, yelling into the camera, “Chuck from Pat India,” an exclamation point in Punjabi similar to “Let’s do it, India!”
This year’s contest marks the second Miss Universe contest in the era of COVID. Israel’s borders were opened to vaccinate tourists ahead of this year’s main event, which would have allowed thousands of fans to attend.
But with the emergence of the new variant from Micron, the Israeli government closed its borders to foreigners two weeks before the competition, throwing travel plans and preparations into disarray. One of the contestants, Miss France, tested positive for the virus upon landing in Israel and was quarantined – she left in time for the preliminary competition last Friday (10).
The contest also got caught up in another layer of political debate, with some critics and countries calling for a boycott – as with previous international events hosted by Israel.
The South African government withdrew its support and urged Mswan to withdraw, citing Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians as “apartheid”, a charge that Israel vehemently denied. But Mswan – with the support of the Miss South Africa Organization – chose to travel to Israel and compete.
Other personalities, including Miss Israel Noua Kochva, responded with a common refrain heard by pageant organizers and contestants: Miss Universe shouldn’t be about politics.
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