Ariana Miyamota is changing the face of beauty in Japan.
The 20-year-old, who was born and raised in Japan, is a Japanese citizen. She was just crowned Miss Japan and is set to represent the island nation in the Miss Universe pageant. But instead of celebrating her win, she's had to defend it.
Miyamoto is the daughter of a Japanese woman and African-American man, which has some people questioning whether the statuesque beauty is "Japanese enough" to represent their nation. The pageant queen has acknowledged that while she doesn't "
look Japanese" on the outside, there are many Japanese things about her on the inside.
According to a number of Japanese websites, comments like, "Is it okay to select a hafu [half-Japanese] to represent Japan?" and "Because this is Miss Universe Japan, don't you think hafu are a no-no?," were made on Twitter. One person even said, "It makes me uncomfortable to say she's representing Japan."
But regardless of the negative comments made about her, Miyamoto's win is a huge step in the right direction for the Asian country, whose culture (and views of beauty) are very homogenous. It's nice to see them embracing a form of beauty that strays from their norm.
We think Miyamoto definitely deserved her title, and we wish her all the best in the Miss Universe Pageant.
To learn more about Miyamoto and why her Miss Japan win is a big deal, just watch the video above.
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