After six years, a black woman finally won the title of Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa.
Leila Lopes of Angola was the first black woman to have received the title in the 2011 pageant after she was Madison Anderson of Puerto Rico and Sofia Argon of Mexico as the runners up.
Tunzi said” I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me, with my kind of skin and my kind of hair, was never considered to be beautiful, I think that it is time that that stops today,”.
In the final interview, this beautiful lady was about teaching young girls today.
This Miss Universe winner stressed the value of teaching young girls about leadership. She said “It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time — not because we don’t want to, but because of what society has labeled women to be, think we are the most powerful beings on the world, and that we should be given every opportunity,” she also said, adding: “And that is what we should be teaching these young girls — to take up space.”
In her reflection, Zozibini wrote, “Tonight a door was opened, and I could not be more grateful to have been the one to have walked through it.
“May every little girl who witnessed this moment forever believe in the power of her dreams, and may they see their faces reflected in mine. I proudly state my name Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe 2019!”
Zozibini won Miss South Africa in August and has a description from the Miss Universe as “proud advocate for natural beauty”. She is also a passionate activist and has been engaging herself against gender-based violence. Furthermore, “She has devoted her social media campaign to changing the narrative around gender stereotypes.”
Oprah Winfrey praised the winner on her comment about leadership:
Congratulations, Miss South Africa, the new Miss Universe @zozitunzi! Agree with you…leadership is the most potent thing we should be teaching young women today. We welcome your visit to #OWLAG, our Leadership Academy for Girls
Steve Harvey was the host for the Miss. Universe for the 5th time around, and there was a slight mix up; he said that Miss Philippines won the National Costume Contest, but the one who came out on stage was Miss Malaysia.
This year’s pageant has already been history as there was a first openly gay contestant who joined the show, Miss. Myanmar, Swe Zin Htet.
The winner from last year was Catriona Gray of the Philippines and talked about her extraordinary life-changing and purposeful year during her final walk “We’re getting this amazing platform to voice the things we’re passionate about, the things we care about,” she said in a video. “I always had a voice, but Miss Universe allowed me to amplify it.”
Prizes for Miss Universe to name a few is a one-year rent-free stay in a New York apartment and a salary of around $100,000.
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