Miss Universe Shuts Down Body-Shaming Trolls: 'Everyone is Beautiful'
Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu of India answered the trolling she had been receiving on social media over her apparent weight gain by saying "everyone is beautiful".
Sandhu, 22, expressed concern for victims of trolling who don't have the international platform that she has to promote women empowerment and body positivity.
The third Indian woman Miss Universe has been on the receiving end of trolling from body shamers since her homecoming this week, reminiscent of the ordeal that the 1996 titleholder, Alicia Machado of Venezuela, endured.
While Machado was shamed in the tabloids by her boss Donald Trump, then the owner of the Miss Universe Organization, Sandhu's bashers are on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
"I know there are a lot of people who are trolling me that's okay because that's their mindset, their stigmas. But there are a lot of other individuals who get trolled everyday, irrespective if they're Miss Universe or not," Sandhu said in a video posted by the Miss Universe Organization.
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Unbothered by the criticism, Sandhu said, "If I feel gorgeous, you feel beautiful too. It's in our minds how you perceive beauty."
"For me, everyone is beautiful. It's about how you represent yourself what kind of ideology you have," she said.
The Miss Universe Organization also released a statement saying it "does not tolerate bullying of any kind", adding, "We are a community built to champion, encourage and uplift one another. There is no room for hate here."
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