As a child growing up in the Eighties, I used to watch Miss World. Or rather, my mother did. From her chintz armchair, she would critique the contestants just as assiduously as the judges. “Terrible legs,” she’d frown. “Oh, Miss Puerto Rico has a gorgeous figure. Not too fat and not too thin.” And so began the not so subliminal messaging that, whether you entered one or not, if you were a woman, life would always be a beauty pageant.
Ukrainian-Born Model Winning Miss Japan Re-Ignites Identity Debate - American Renaissance amren.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from amren.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Crowned Miss Japan this week, Ukrainian-born Carolina Shiino cried with joy, thankful for the recognition of her identity as Japanese. Shiino has lived in Japan since moving here at age 5 and became a naturalized citizen in 2022. Now 26, she works as a model and says she has as strong a sense of Japanese identity as anyone else, despite her non-Japanese look.