Karolina Shiino, 26, won the Miss Japan title two weeks ago but it led to debate due to her heritage. Shiino apologised to fans and the public in a statement on Monday.
As a child growing up in the Eighties, I used to watch Miss World. Or rather, my mother did. From her chintz armchair, she would critique the contestants just as assiduously as the judges. “Terrible legs,” she’d frown. “Oh, Miss Puerto Rico has a gorgeous figure. Not too fat and not too thin.” And so began the not so subliminal messaging that, whether you entered one or not, if you were a woman, life would always be a beauty pageant.
The outcome of a beauty pageant has sparked fierce debate in the country it was held on Monday night after model Carolina Shiino (pictured), 26, walked away with the top prize.
At this international pageant, trans women around the world blend beauty and activism opb.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from opb.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.