Finland’s representative at the recent Miss Universe competition held in Thailand caused a stir with a photo in which she narrowed her eyes with her fingers.
Sari Xhafce, whose father is from Kosovo, Miss Finland title stripped because of a photo she posted online, on which she wrote kiinalaisenkaa syömäs, which loosely translates to ‘I eat with a Chinese person’ or ‘I eat Chinese food’.
The slanted-eye pose is often considered disrespectful to East Asian people.
The announcement has sparked negative reactions in Japan, South Korea and China due to the 22-year-old’s actions, and even Finnair, Finland’s national airline, is under attack.
The Finnish Prime Minister said she said such gestures were “reckless and stupid” and that the ensuing controversy was “damaging” to the country.
Džafče apologized for the photo, claiming that she made the gesture because she had a headache.
She said a friend added an offensive comment to her December 11 post without her consent, according to local tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.
“It was not my intention to offend anyone.”
“One of the most important things for me is respecting people, their backgrounds and differences,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Her apology also drew a lot of criticism, with some calling it “disingenuous” given that it was written in Finnish.
“I’m not sure Chinese people outside Finland understand this. Such a thoughtful and sincere apology,” read one of the ironic comments on her repentant post.
“This wasn’t necessary, the Asians didn’t do anything to you… We’re still disappointed about this,” read another comment.
Two right-wing party MPs in Finland, Juho Erola and Kaisa Garedev, posted photos of themselves doing the same thing as Dzafce in a sign of support.
The posts were removed after negative comments.
Erola apologized, stating that he believed that Dzafce had been given a “disproportionately harsh sentence.”
Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo condemned the MPs’ actions as “childish”, adding that they should be an example of how someone should behave properly.
Finland’s national airline Finnair told public broadcaster YLE that the controversy had affected the company and that there had been calls for tourists from Asia not to travel to Finland.
“The statements or announcements mentioned by some Finnish MPs do not represent Finnair’s values,” the airline wrote on its Japanese-language Ixu account.
“As an airline supported by employees from diverse backgrounds and travelers around the world, we promise to welcome everyone with respect,” they wrote.
The young lady’s gesture attracted a lot of attention in Asia, especially in Japan, South Korea and China.
A Japanese man living in Finland started a petition calling for an investigation into anti-Asian discrimination, which had collected more than 7.000 signatures by the evening of December 14, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported.
The Finnish embassy in Japan said it had received “numerous opinions and questions” about calls for Finland to crack down on racism.
“Racism remains a challenge for Finnish society, and addressing it requires continuous and determined efforts,” she admitted in a post on Iks earlier this week.
The controversy surrounding Sara Dzafca followed the chaotic Miss Universe pageant held in Thailand, which was marred by various scandals and allegations of rigging.
The Miss Finland organization said that stripping Sari Dzafca of her title was a “difficult but necessary” move.
“Miss Finland has a role model status, which demands respect from all people regardless of their origin, background or appearance,” the organization said in a statement.
“We are deeply sorry for the harm these events have caused. Especially to the Asian community, but also to anyone who feels offended.”
“Racism is never acceptable in any form,” the statement said.
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