Commentary: Miss Universe and the changing face of beauty
- Suzanne Shah
- Oct 27
- 3 min read
When India’s Harnaaz Sandhu won Miss Universe in 2021, she told the crowd, “The biggest pressure the youth of today is facing is to believe in themselves … I believed in myself and that’s why I’m standing here today,” according to The Times of India.
Her win was more than a victory for India. It marked a shift for a competition once synonymous with glamour and Westernized ideals. The Miss Universe crown now represents something broader — a changing conversation about beauty, identity and purpose.
The Miss Universe Organization, founded in 1952, was originally sponsored by Pacific Knitting Mills, a swimsuit company that looked to promote their line.
In a 2024 statement on its official website, the organization said it stands for “inclusion, transparency and integrity,” and pledged to showcase “beauty in its various forms.”
However, pageant watchers agree the contest has changed.
In 2018, Spain’s Angela Ponce became the first transgender woman to compete. In 2023, the top 20 included contestants from Pakistan, Portugal, and Nepal — representing mothers, plus-size women and Muslim participants.
Earlier this year, Catriona Gray, TV host and former Miss Universe winner, said she hopes the organization’s inclusivity is genuine.
“I just hope the brand would take accountability and show it’s not just a token,” she told PhilStar.
Still, some observers question how far that inclusion really goes.
A controversy in 2024 about “fake inclusivity” raised doubts about whether diversity in Miss Universe was symbolic or structural.
But for India, the pageant has long been about more than representation. The country’s four Miss Universe winners — Sushmita Sen in 1994, Lara Dutta in 2000, Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021 and Manika Vishwakarna in 2025 — reflected a different chapter of India’s cultural evolution.
Sen’s victory in 1994 came during India’s economic liberalization, when international fashion and media were just beginning to influence local culture. Dutta’s win in 2000 represented a new, confident India asserting its intellect and style on a global stage. And Sandhu’s triumph, 21 years later, signaled a generation that embraces individuality and social advocacy as much as elegance.
“For me everyone is beautiful,” Sandhu told NDTV shortly after her win. “Your features do not matter at one moment. It’s about how you represent yourself.”
Her message resonated across India and beyond. In an interview with OnManorama, she said she hopes to use her platform to promote menstrual hygiene and women’s empowerment, adding that believing in oneself can inspire others to do the same.
Around the world, the contest is similarly redefining its message.
South Africa’s 2019 winner Zozibini Tunzi was the first to win with natural hair.
According to Glamour magazine, 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.”
That quote went viral online and became a stepping stone in the perception of beauty.
Still, pageantry itself remains contested territory. Critics argue that, no matter how inclusive, the format still commodifies women’s bodies for entertainment.
Others note that Miss Universe viewership has declined as audiences shift toward social media influencers and activists who shape beauty culture outside the stage.
Despite this, supporters say the platform’s relevance lies in visibility and symbolism. It still offers contestants from underrepresented countries a global stage to share their stories.
That message resonates particularly in multicultural societies like Canada, where diversity and self-expression shape the national identity. The Miss Universe stage, in its best moments, mirrors that same conversation about belonging, representation and power.
Miss Universe may no longer dictate global beauty standards, but it continues to reflect them.
For India and many other nations, each crown has symbolized aspiration and self-belief.
Whether the contest can keep pace with an increasingly inclusive world may determine if the Miss Universe sparkle will last.
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