The candidates’ answers from the Q&A portion of Miss Universe 2021 left us with statements to ponder on
The Miss Universe stage is not only a prestigious place where the most beautiful women come together, but it’s also become a platform for change and empowerment. The Q&A portion is a critical part of every pageant, where the wit and wisdom of the delegates will be put to the test. Often, their answers reveals not only what’s in their hearts, but also what their home countries stand for.
This year, the questions reflect what the world has gone through not only in the past 2 years. Topics like cancel culture and vaccine requirements were brought up. Most of the candidates answered meaningfully, and their answers can serve to inspire us all.
Prevent and protect
The effects of climate change is felt in every corners of the world yet some people believe it’s a hoax. So, when Miss India, and the newly crowned Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu, was asked on how to convince people otherwise, this is her answer:
“Honestly my heart breaks to see how nature is going through a lot of problems, and it’s all due to our irresponsible behavior. I totally feel like this is the time to take actions and talk less, because each action could either kill or save nature. Prevent and protect is better than repent and repair, and this is what I’m trying to convince you guys to do.”
Prevent and protect than repent and repair, at this point we should know better on how to take care of not only our health, but our environment as well. A huge part of our lives are being held captive due to unforeseen natural disasters. The only way we can help sometimes is be aware and responsible of our own actions that are sometimes harmful to our surroundings.
Redemption culture
One of the most talked about issues we face nowadays is the downside of the internet’s varying cultures. For Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane, she promotes forgiveness in the face of cancel culture.
The question goes, “Should tweets and social media comments form a person in their teenage years be held against them years later?” And this is her answer:
“I believe that everybody should be held accountable for their actions, and if a person doesn’t know how to act on social media, they should be canceled. I believe in cancel culture. In the same way, I also believe in redemption culture, and hoping that the person has matured and has learned better and done better. I hope that they could do better and be redeemed, so I do believe that they can grow and be allowed to do that.“
It’s just about right to be forgiven and be given a second chance, especially for the things you said in an intangible space like the internet. Words could hurt, but there’s always a bigger evil in the world for someone to be not forgiven, especially when there’s repentance on their end.
Our body is a temple
Another form of hate thrown at people, especially women nowadays is body shaming. What people have gone through due the pressure set by the world’s unrealistic beauty standards, is unimaginable. So, when Miss Paraguay, Nadia Ferreira, was asked on her thoughts on this matter, she said:
“Our body is our temple, so we must take care of it. Our inner beauty is what really matters. Let us cultivate our inner beauty, so it can reflect our external beauty.”
We can all agree that whatever is not seen is something that cannot be broken, like one’s inner beauty.
Women, take charge
Miss Colombia, Valeria Ayos, stayed true to what Miss Universe pageant is all about, which is a space to empower women in all colors. So, when she was asked, “According to Global Citizen, 95% of the world’s countries are led by a male head of state. How would the world be different if more women were in charge?” this is what she said:
“Women are leaders by nature. We have the power to raise our voice and make transcendental decisions in society as role models, and we can be an example not just with words but with actions. That’s why women raising their voice as in, this platform called Miss Universe, we are taking charge of our lives and deciding what we want to impart to the society in order to make it a better one. Women, let’s raise our voice and make us a better united universe.”
Public health is everyone’s responsibility
Lastly, for our very own, Miss Philippines, Beatrice Luigi Gomez, got the question that is probably the closest not only to her heart, but to all the Filipinos who suffered with COVID-19 and all it’s effects.
She was asked on her opinion of mandating a universal vaccine passport, this is what she said:
“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 the vaccine, and mitigate the situation of the pandemic today, then I would agree on mandating the necessary passport of vaccination.”
Bea’s question asked for a practical answer, and she gave it with concrete solution. She left us with mission that public health is everyone’s responsibility.
Related:
Miss India Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu Wins Miss Universe 2021: A Rundown Of Her Performance
