A Ukrainian-born model Carolina Shiino has won the top prize in the Miss Japan pageant. Shiino's win has sparked a huge debate on social media, with netizens questioning her identity as a Japanese.

Ukraine-born model wins Miss Japan, social media backlash follows

A Ukrainian model has won the top prize in the Miss Japan pageant, leading to debates across the country about national identity. Carolina Shiino, 26, is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to take the crown.

Ukrainian-born woman wins Miss Japan pageant, sparks debate

<p><meta charset="utf-8" />After Kashmir Valley hosted the G20’s working group meeting earlier this year, for the first time ever, Srinagar is hosting the international beauty pageant winners. The reigning Miss World Karolina Bielawska from Poland is on a visit to Srinagar city along with many other beauty pageant winners.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">Kashmir’s natural beauty stunned the beauty pageant winners including the Miss World Karolina Bielawska, who is visiting the Srinagar city. A pre-event to the Miss World 2023 was held here in Srinagar, where along with the Miss World, many beauty queens like Miss World Caribbean, Emmy Pena; Miss World America, Shree Saini; Miss World India, Sini Shetty; Miss World England, Jessica Gagen; Miss Asia, Pricilia Carla Saputri Yules attended. The Chairman and CEO of Miss World Organization, Julia Eric Morley was also present.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">India is hosting the 71st edition of the Miss World 2023 pageant, to be held later this year. A tour of Srinagar city, including the world-famous Dal Lake, was organised for the beauty queens. All the visiting beauty queens were taken on shikara rides by the Department of Tourism. And all of them were all praise&nbsp;for the beauty of Kashmir.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Also read |</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/from-rajasthans-heat-to-kashmirs-cold-chandrayaan-3-rover-finds-temperature-variation-on-lunar-soil-629670">&nbsp;From Rajasthan's heat to Kashmir's cold: Chandrayaan-3 finds massive lunar soil temperature variation</a></p>

<p dir="ltr">''I love Kashmir and they are doing an incredible job. I would love the entire world to see it. I cannot wait for other contestants to come here and see this place. I hope they will bring them here as well and I hope they will enjoy this experience. India has so many beautiful places, India is very diverse and every time I come here there is something new that I experience. Every state has so much to offer and is extremely hospitable,'' said Karolina Bielawska, Miss World.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">India, which has won the prestigious title six times, is hosting the pageant after nearly three decades. The last time the country hosted the event was back in 1996. Miss India World is travelling along with the already-crowned Miss World Karolina and says it will help her in the competition. The two of these beauty queens were seen enjoying each other's company as they took the shikara ride together while taking many selfies.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">''I think Karolina is the biggest source of inspiration for Miss World. I have learnt a lot of things, a lot of poise and grace and how you conduct yourself as Miss World, and everything that she does is an example of how I can improve myself. And maybe my stars will align, and I get the Miss World title. The entire Miss World organisation along with Karolina have enjoyed the colours of Kashmir Valley, and the people here are really sweet. I am super excited to be in my home country and get to welcome 140 countries and show them what India is actually. It is the most picturesque place I have seen,'' said Sini Shetty, Miss India.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Also watch |&nbsp;Historic Jammu &amp; Kashmir Independence Day celebrations</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/historic-jammu-kashmir-independence-day-celebrations-627259/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">&nbsp;</div>

<p dir="ltr">The government of Jammu and Kashmir says events like these will put the Valley on an international map. The visit by Miss World to Kashmir&nbsp;promises to be a blend of elegance, artistry and cultural exchange. After the G20 working group meeting, thousands of foreign tourists visited the valley. Around 17 thousand foreigners landed in the Kashmir Valley in the first six months of 2023.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:</strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></p>


After Kashmir Valley hosted the G20’s working group meeting earlier this year, for the first time ever, Srinagar is hosting the international beauty pageant winners.

After Kashmir Valley hosted the G20’s working group meeting earlier this year, for the first time ever, Srinagar is hosting the international beauty pageant winners. The reigning Miss World Karolina Bielawska from Poland is on a visit to Srinagar city along with many other beauty pageant winners. Kashmir’s natural beauty stunned the beauty pageant winners including the Miss World Karolina Bielawska, who is visiting the Srinagar city. A pre-event to the Miss World 2023 was held here in Srinagar, where along with the Miss World, many beauty queens like Miss World Caribbean, Emmy Pena; Miss World America, Shree Saini; Miss World India, Sini Shetty; Miss World England, Jessica Gagen; Miss Asia, Pricilia Carla Saputri Yules attended. The Chairman and CEO of Miss World Organization, Julia Eric Morley was also present. India is hosting the 71st edition of the Miss World 2023 pageant, to be held later this year. A tour of Srinagar city, including the world-famous Dal Lake, was organised for the beauty queens. All the visiting beauty queens were taken on shikara rides by the Department of Tourism. And all of them were all praise for the beauty of Kashmir. Also read | From Rajasthan's heat to Kashmir's cold: Chandrayaan-3 finds massive lunar soil temperature variation ''I love Kashmir and they are doing an incredible job. I would love the entire world to see it. I cannot wait for other contestants to come here and see this place. I hope they will bring them here as well and I hope they will enjoy this experience. India has so many beautiful places, India is very diverse and every time I come here there is something new that I experience. Every state has so much to offer and is extremely hospitable,'' said Karolina Bielawska, Miss World. India, which has won the prestigious title six times, is hosting the pageant after nearly three decades. The last time the country hosted the event was back in 1996. Miss India World is travelling along with the already-crowned Miss World Karolina and says it will help her in the competition. The two of these beauty queens were seen enjoying each other's company as they took the shikara ride together while taking many selfies. ''I think Karolina is the biggest source of inspiration for Miss World. I have learnt a lot of things, a lot of poise and grace and how you conduct yourself as Miss World, and everything that she does is an example of how I can improve myself. And maybe my stars will align, and I get the Miss World title. The entire Miss World organisation along with Karolina have enjoyed the colours of Kashmir Valley, and the people here are really sweet. I am super excited to be in my home country and get to welcome 140 countries and show them what India is actually. It is the most picturesque place I have seen,'' said Sini Shetty, Miss India. Also watch | Historic Jammu & Kashmir Independence Day celebrations The government of Jammu and Kashmir says events like these will put the Valley on an international map. The visit by Miss World to Kashmir promises to be a blend of elegance, artistry and cultural exchange. After the G20 working group meeting, thousands of foreign tourists visited the valley. Around 17 thousand foreigners landed in the Kashmir Valley in the first six months of 2023. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

India: Kashmir hosts Miss World along with other beauty pageant winners

Strutting their feathers, these colorful chickens are competing against one another in the country's first ever chicken beauty pageant.

Libya holds first-ever beauty pageant for chickens

A pageant for Indigenous women in Bolivia ended in victory Friday for a 28 year old medical student, Nelly Mamani Chambi. She was awarded the title of "Miss Cholita 2021". Contestants wore clear plastic face coverings during the event to guard against the coronavirus.

Miss Cholita 2021 crowned in La Paz

<p><meta charset="utf-8" /></p>

<p>When Nigerian student and model Victoria Chiamaka Udeh was branding her country's red-stained flag while walking down the runway during a beauty pageant in Russia, she could only think about how young people lost their lives during the #EndSars protests in Nigeria last year.</p>

<p>She used the Miss Africa Russia<a href="https://www.instagram.com/missafricarussia/" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>platform to make a statement about the anti-police brutality demonstrations that struck her country last year in October. CNN quoted her saying, "I felt like 'right now I don't care about what the judges think about what I'm doing.' What mattered to me was using the platform that Miss Africa Russia<a href="https://www.instagram.com/missafricarussia/" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>had given me to pass a message".&nbsp;</p>

<p>The police brutality is now being investigated by a judicial panel, which has been set up by the authorities.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The NIGERIA Representative Miss Africa in RUSSIA 2021 displayed uncommon courage as she came out with blood stained Nigeria flag, an indication of daily blood flow of innocent people across NIGERIA.<br />
<br />
TBRV | Biafra <a href="https://t.co/VfRmHxPMkA">pic.twitter.com/VfRmHxPMkA</a></p>
— The Biafra Restoration Voice - TBRV (@TBRVorg) <a href="https://twitter.com/TBRVorg/status/1405178476966072323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>The Nigerian army had admitted to having in possession both live and blank bullets when they were deployed to protests at Lekki toll gate on October 20. The admission was seen as a confirmation of a key finding of a CNN investigation into the shooting incident.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nigeria-admits-soldiers-had-live-bullets-at-lekki-toll-gate-protest-344654"><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;Nigeria admits soldiers had live bullets at Lekki Toll Gate protest</strong></a></p>

<p>Brig. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo in his testimony to the Lagos Judicial panel of inquiry into the incident, said, "The soldiers were given both live and blank bullets. In this particular case, we saw that these protests had been infiltrated by some hoodlums".</p>

<p>As per Udeh, she used the platform to "break beauty stereotypes". Speaking with CNN, she said, "At that time, I wasn't comfortable with my skin because I had a lot of acne all over my face. So, I wanted to prove to myself and people like me that I can break beauty stereotypes and that the flaws on my skin are part of what makes me perfect".&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a video from the event that struck social media, the model could be seen dressed in Nigeria's green and white colours, while she is holding the red-splashed flag.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She said the banner symbolised the blood of young protesters who lost their lives<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/18/africa/lagos-nigeria-lekki-toll-gate-feature-intl/index.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>last year.</p>

<p>While she did not win the competition, she was rated top in the "people's choice" category by the organisers.</p>

<p>Udeh said that wearing the colours made her "very emotional".</p>

<p>"I did that for a good cause. We need to be safe in our country and not losing lives every day. It was just a call to the Nigerian government to address the country's security issues," she said.&nbsp;</p>


When Nigerian student and model Victoria Chiamaka Udeh was branding her country's red-stained flag while walking down the runway during a beauty pageant in Russia, she could only think about how young people lost their lives during the #EndSars protests in Nigeria last year.

When Nigerian student and model Victoria Chiamaka Udeh was branding her country's red-stained flag while walking down the runway during a beauty pageant in Russia, she could only think about how young people lost their lives during the #EndSars protests in Nigeria last year. She used the Miss Africa Russia platform to make a statement about the anti-police brutality demonstrations that struck her country last year in October. CNN quoted her saying, "I felt like 'right now I don't care about what the judges think about what I'm doing.' What mattered to me was using the platform that Miss Africa Russia had given me to pass a message". The police brutality is now being investigated by a judicial panel, which has been set up by the authorities. The NIGERIA Representative Miss Africa in RUSSIA 2021 displayed uncommon courage as she came out with blood stained Nigeria flag, an indication of daily blood flow of innocent people across NIGERIA. TBRV | Biafra pic.twitter.com/VfRmHxPMkA — The Biafra Restoration Voice - TBRV (@TBRVorg) June 16, 2021 × The Nigerian army had admitted to having in possession both live and blank bullets when they were deployed to protests at Lekki toll gate on October 20. The admission was seen as a confirmation of a key finding of a CNN investigation into the shooting incident. Also Read | Nigeria admits soldiers had live bullets at Lekki Toll Gate protest Brig. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo in his testimony to the Lagos Judicial panel of inquiry into the incident, said, "The soldiers were given both live and blank bullets. In this particular case, we saw that these protests had been infiltrated by some hoodlums". As per Udeh, she used the platform to "break beauty stereotypes". Speaking with CNN, she said, "At that time, I wasn't comfortable with my skin because I had a lot of acne all over my face. So, I wanted to prove to myself and people like me that I can break beauty stereotypes and that the flaws on my skin are part of what makes me perfect". In a video from the event that struck social media, the model could be seen dressed in Nigeria's green and white colours, while she is holding the red-splashed flag. She said the banner symbolised the blood of young protesters who lost their lives last year. While she did not win the competition, she was rated top in the "people's choice" category by the organisers. Udeh said that wearing the colours made her "very emotional". "I did that for a good cause. We need to be safe in our country and not losing lives every day. It was just a call to the Nigerian government to address the country's security issues," she said.

Nigerian model uses Russian beauty pageant as a platform to protest police brutality

<p>Female Ugandan activists on Thursday slammed a government campaign to use "curvy women" as a tourism "product", which has sparked a furore in the east African nation.</p>

<p>Tourism Minister Godfrey Kiwanda unveiled the campaign on Wednesday at a press conference attended by a bevy of curvaceous women.</p>

<p>"Uganda is endowed with beautiful women. Their beauty is unique and diverse. That's why we decided to use the unique beauty, the curves... to make this beauty a product to be marketed along with what we already have as a country ranging from nature, the language and food, to make it a tourist attraction," Kiwanda told AFP on Thursday.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>'Uganda is endowed with beautiful women. Their beauty is unique and diverse. That's why we decided to use the unique beauty, the curves... to make this beauty a product to be marketed along with what we already have as a country ranging from nature, the language and food, to make it a tourist attraction,' Tourism Minister George Kiwanda said</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text='Uganda is endowed with beautiful women. Their beauty is unique and diverse. That's why we decided to use the unique beauty, the curves... to make this beauty a product to be marketed along with what we already have as a country ranging from nature, the language and food, to make it a tourist attraction,' Tourism Minister George Kiwanda said" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">×</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Part of the plan to market Ugandan women is a beauty pageant, Miss Curvy Uganda, to be held in June.</p>

<p>"The winner of the Miss Curvy contest was to be part of our tourism campaign brand using beauty as one other product of tourism," Kiwanda said.</p>

<p>Ugandan women were outraged at the proposal and have called for Kiwanda's resignation.</p>

<p>"This is a perversion. To think women can be used as sex objects in this age and time is an absurdity and we condemn it," Rita Aciro, executive director of the Uganda Women's Network, told AFP.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ugandan entrepreneur and activist Primrose Nyonyozi Murungi launched an online petition to stop the campaign, which she said was "totally unacceptable and demeaning to us."</p>

<p>"Women in Uganda have been attacked while on the streets. What happens now that the government is confirming a stereotype that women are sexual objects and can be touched regardless and more so made a product of tourism," she told AFP.</p>

<p>She said that if the campaign was not stopped immediately, the petitioners would take their case to court.</p>

<p>In addition to Kiwanda's resignation, she has demanded an apology from the government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Former opposition leader in parliament Winnie Kiiza told AFP the move came "at the time (when) women face fear and stigma in a male-dominated society."</p>

<p>"We have been outraged by this campaign that a government can parade curves of women as a tourist attraction," she said.</p>

<p>Kiwanda, trying to stem the anger, insisted the campaign was not aimed at demeaning women.</p>

<p>"Diverse as we are as a country we have a message to put out there about the different curves our women have, which we believe is a tourist attraction."</p>


Female Ugandan activists on Thursday slammed a government campaign to use "curvy women" as a tourism "product", which has sparked a furore in the east African nation.

Female Ugandan activists on Thursday slammed a government campaign to use "curvy women" as a tourism "product", which has sparked a furore in the east African nation. Tourism Minister Godfrey Kiwanda unveiled the campaign on Wednesday at a press conference attended by a bevy of curvaceous women. "Uganda is endowed with beautiful women. Their beauty is unique and diverse. That's why we decided to use the unique beauty, the curves... to make this beauty a product to be marketed along with what we already have as a country ranging from nature, the language and food, to make it a tourist attraction," Kiwanda told AFP on Thursday. 'Uganda is endowed with beautiful women. Their beauty is unique and diverse. That's why we decided to use the unique beauty, the curves... to make this beauty a product to be marketed along with what we already have as a country ranging from nature, the language and food, to make it a tourist attraction,' Tourism Minister George Kiwanda said × Part of the plan to market Ugandan women is a beauty pageant, Miss Curvy Uganda, to be held in June. "The winner of the Miss Curvy contest was to be part of our tourism campaign brand using beauty as one other product of tourism," Kiwanda said. Ugandan women were outraged at the proposal and have called for Kiwanda's resignation. "This is a perversion. To think women can be used as sex objects in this age and time is an absurdity and we condemn it," Rita Aciro, executive director of the Uganda Women's Network, told AFP. Ugandan entrepreneur and activist Primrose Nyonyozi Murungi launched an online petition to stop the campaign, which she said was "totally unacceptable and demeaning to us." "Women in Uganda have been attacked while on the streets. What happens now that the government is confirming a stereotype that women are sexual objects and can be touched regardless and more so made a product of tourism," she told AFP. She said that if the campaign was not stopped immediately, the petitioners would take their case to court. In addition to Kiwanda's resignation, she has demanded an apology from the government. Former opposition leader in parliament Winnie Kiiza told AFP the move came "at the time (when) women face fear and stigma in a male-dominated society." "We have been outraged by this campaign that a government can parade curves of women as a tourist attraction," she said. Kiwanda, trying to stem the anger, insisted the campaign was not aimed at demeaning women. "Diverse as we are as a country we have a message to put out there about the different curves our women have, which we believe is a tourist attraction."

Uganda wanted to draw tourists with 'curvy women', it got outry instead

<p>Meet&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;Hashimoto, a &quot;living doll&quot; and the latest trend in Tokyo&#39;s fashion modeling scene.</p>

<p>Lulu&nbsp;- a full-body doll suit consisting of a wig, a mask and stockings patterned with doll-like joints - was born from one woman&#39;s desire to become cute.</p>

<p>&quot;I have always really liked dolls and for me, the epitome of cuteness is dolls,&quot; said the 23-year-old fashion designer Hitomi Komaki, who created&nbsp;Lulu.</p>

<p>Dressing up as a mascot, called &quot;kigurumi&quot; in Japanese, is a popular art form in Japan. Komaki has taken it to a new level by creating a body suit that looks like a doll and lets you move like a human.</p>

<p>&quot;Many people call my project a fetish, but for me it&#39;s not a fetish but fashion,&quot; she said. &quot;It&#39;s like wearing nice clothes or putting on false eyelashes to become cuter.&quot;</p>

<p>There is only one&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;body suit, Komaki said, but dancers, designers and models are among those who have worn the costume.</p>

<p>The identity of exactly who is inside is secret, she added.</p>

<p>The stockings worn by&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;were created by fellow fashion designer Koh Ueno, who airbrushes doll-like joints onto the material.</p>

<p>&quot;I want to see women wear these stockings and transform,&quot; said 29-year-old Ueno.</p>

<p>&quot;I want them to experience the extraordinary - to become otherworldly, artificial, or like a doll,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>While popular among fans of Japanese subculture,&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;is now turning heads at the annual Miss iD beauty pageant where she is among the 134 semi-finalists chosen from around 4,000 entrants.</p>

<p>The pageant, which includes &quot;non-human&quot; characters generated by artificial intelligence and three-dimensional computer graphics for the first time, will announce a winner in November.</p>

<p>Lulu&#39;s ability to blur the line between reality and fiction has mesmerized fans on social media, where the&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;Twitter and Instagram accounts have drawn tens of thousands of followers.</p>

<p>&quot;I find it miraculous that dolls and humans - two things that exist in different planes - are standing in the same space,&quot; said Erika Kato, 24, who met&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;for the first time at a recent fan event.</p>

<p>The possibility of wearing a suit and becoming&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;also appealed to fans like 22-year-old Miu Shimoda.</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;d like to be a beautiful girl like&nbsp;Lulu&nbsp;at least once in my life,&quot; she said.</p>


Lulu - a full-body doll suit consisting of a wig, a mask and stockings patterned with doll-like joints - was born from one woman's desire to become cute

Meet Lulu Hashimoto, a "living doll" and the latest trend in Tokyo's fashion modeling scene. Lulu - a full-body doll suit consisting of a wig, a mask and stockings patterned with doll-like joints - was born from one woman's desire to become cute. "I have always really liked dolls and for me, the epitome of cuteness is dolls," said the 23-year-old fashion designer Hitomi Komaki, who created Lulu. Dressing up as a mascot, called "kigurumi" in Japanese, is a popular art form in Japan. Komaki has taken it to a new level by creating a body suit that looks like a doll and lets you move like a human. "Many people call my project a fetish, but for me it's not a fetish but fashion," she said. "It's like wearing nice clothes or putting on false eyelashes to become cuter." There is only one Lulu body suit, Komaki said, but dancers, designers and models are among those who have worn the costume. The identity of exactly who is inside is secret, she added. The stockings worn by Lulu were created by fellow fashion designer Koh Ueno, who airbrushes doll-like joints onto the material. "I want to see women wear these stockings and transform," said 29-year-old Ueno. "I want them to experience the extraordinary - to become otherworldly, artificial, or like a doll," he said. While popular among fans of Japanese subculture, Lulu is now turning heads at the annual Miss iD beauty pageant where she is among the 134 semi-finalists chosen from around 4,000 entrants. The pageant, which includes "non-human" characters generated by artificial intelligence and three-dimensional computer graphics for the first time, will announce a winner in November. Lulu's ability to blur the line between reality and fiction has mesmerized fans on social media, where the Lulu Twitter and Instagram accounts have drawn tens of thousands of followers. "I find it miraculous that dolls and humans - two things that exist in different planes - are standing in the same space," said Erika Kato, 24, who met Lulu for the first time at a recent fan event. The possibility of wearing a suit and becoming Lulu also appealed to fans like 22-year-old Miu Shimoda. "I'd like to be a beautiful girl like Lulu at least once in my life," she said.

Lulu Hashimoto: 'living doll' is latest trend in Tokyo's fashion modeling scene

pageant

Pageant, News on Pageant, stories on Pageant, articles on Pageant, Pageant stories at Wion, Pageant news, Pageant latest news