Miss Universe 2021 has already been elected: the title goes to Harnaaz Sandhu, the competitor from India, in an edition full of controversies.
Miss Universe 2021 ended last Sunday (12), and the crowned winner was Harnaaz Sandhu, the competitor from India. This marked the end of a controversial competition edition, organized this time in southern Israel. During the competition, Harnaaz gave a beautiful speech in which he asked young people to “know that you are unique and that is what makes you beautiful, stop comparing yourself to others”. Furthermore, to applause from the audience, she ended her thanks by commenting: “I believed in myself, and that’s why I’m here today.”
The 2021 edition of Miss Universe was based in the tourist city of Eilat, and 80 women from around the world competed for the crown. In this sense, last Sunday night (12) was the last day of competition. Thus, the eliminations reduced the number of finalists until only two women remained. Second and third place were taken by Nadia Ferreira, from Paraguay, and Lalela Mswane, from South Africa, respectively.
The presentation of Miss Universe 2021 was done by Steve Harvey. At one point in the evening, he directed a question to the winner Harnaaz that left many confused. Harvey asked, “I heard you do some pretty good animal impersonations, let’s hear your best.” It later received criticism from internet users, as many commented on how the question had not been in a good tone.
Soon after, in response, Sandhu joked: “Oh my God, Steve, I didn’t expect to do this on the world stage. I have to do this, I have no other option. Get ready, everyone.” In surprise, the miss showed some cat meows.
Miss Universe 2021 was marked by controversy
Furthermore, once Harnaaz reached the top 5, the candidates went through a question and answer session. The winner took the opportunity to talk about climate change, sending an important message. “This is the time to act and talk less,” she commented. “Preventing and protecting is better than regretting and repairing.” After her victory was announced, she celebrated with other contestants, shouting into a camera: “Chak de Phatte India”, a Punjabi expression meaning “Let’s do it, India”.
One of the biggest controversies of Miss Universe 2021 was the location chosen to host the competition. The edition was also notable for being the second competition of the Covid-19 era. In Israel, the borders were open to vaccinated tourists before the main event, something that allowed thousands of fans to enter. However, with the arrival of the Ômicron variant, the Israeli government closed the borders to foreigners just two weeks before the competition. This threw the contest into a situation of pure chaos.
Likewise, there was still a lot of political controversy involved in the competition. In this sense, many critics and countries called for boycotts, something that has already happened with other international events based in Israel. For example, the South African government withdrew its support from the contest, and asked Mswane to withdraw due to the country’s treatment of Palestinians, calling it “apartheid”. On the other hand, Israel denied it. And Mswane, with the support of Miss South Africa, chose to travel to the country and compete.
Some other contestants, like Miss Israel, Noa Cochva, responded with a phrase often heard by pageant organizers and contestants: Miss Universe should not be about politics.
