Ukrainian-Born Contestant Crowned Miss Japan 2024

At the "Miss Japan 2024" beauty pageant, the coveted title went to contestant Carolina Shiino, who hails from Ukraine. The 26-year-old model moved to Japan at the age of 5 and grew up in Nagoya. She made history as the first naturalized Japanese citizen to win the national beauty pageant, according to BBC.

Upon receiving the crown, Carolina teared up and eloquently expressed in flawless Japanese, "There were racial barriers, and it was challenging to be accepted as a Japanese. The fact that they recognized me as Japanese in this competition fills me with gratitude."

The reaction to Carolina Shiino's victory varied among the Japanese public. Some hailed her as a "sign of the times," while others argued that "Miss Japan" should have a different appearance. The main source of criticism was the absence of Japanese heritage. "The person they chose as 'Miss Japan' is not even of mixed race, but 100% pure Ukrainian. Understand, she is beautiful, but this is 'Miss Japan.' Where is the Japanese-ness?" one Twitter post read. "If she were half Japanese, of course, no problem. But she is ethnically 0% Japanese and wasn't even born in Japan," stated another comment.

In response, the organizers emphasized that the beauty pageant and the participation of diverse contestants should be seen as an "opportunity to reconsider what Japanese beauty is."

Carolina Shiino's victory comes nearly a decade after a woman of mixed heritage first claimed the title of Miss Japan in 2015. Ariana Miyamoto, whose mother is Japanese and father is African American, raised questions about whether a person of mixed race has the right to win the competition. In the same year, she represented Japan at the Miss Universe pageant and made it to the top 10 contestants.

Ariana Miyamoto also spoke about facing racial discrimination during her school years, where other children refused to touch her, stating that they could become "black" in the process. She used her victory to combat existing prejudices in Japanese society.

In a related note, The Gaze reported that Italy's "most handsome man" left everything to become a priest. Edoardo Santini, who won the title of Italy's most handsome man in 2019, revealed his plan to "become a priest, if God allows." He shared that over the past few years, he met people who gave him the opportunity to explore the vocation he had been interested in since childhood but never dared to delve deeper into.