Twenty-four-year-old
Miss New York Nina Davuluri on Monday became
the first contestant of Indian-origin to win the
prestigious Miss America pageant (87th) after wooing the
judges with a Bollywood fusion dance.
·
Miss California Crystal Lee was the runner-up. Miss Oklahoma
Kesley Griswold came in third place.
·
Contestants
were judged on evening gowns, lifestyle/fitness, talent, a personal interview
and an on-stage question.
·
Davuluri
is the second consecutive Miss New York to win the Miss America crown, succeeding
Mallory Hagan.
·
She
was asked about the wisdom of TV anchor getting plastic surgery on her eyes to
alter her appearance.
·
Davuluri
said she's against plastic surgery, but said people should make their own
choice but be confident in their appearances.
·
She
showcased aclassical Bollywood fusion dance piece as her talent.
·
USD
50,000 given as scholarship.
· Her parents hailed originally from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Indian-origin Miss America target of
racism on social media
·
The crowning of the first Miss America of
Indian origin sparked a racist reaction on social media today but 24-year-old
Nina Davuluri played down the issue, saying she had to "rise above"
such things.
·
On Twitter, some users uncharitably
referred to Davuluri, the daughter of a gynaecologist who emigrated from India
30 years ago, as an Arab and a terrorist with ties to Al Qaeda.
·
A user with the handle @emi_adkins
tweeted, "It's called Miss America. Get outta here New York you look like
a terrorist."
·
Some like Luke Brasili sought to link
Davuluri's win with the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks in the
US. "9/11 was 4 days ago and she gets Miss America?" he tweeted.
·
"Congratulations Al-Qaeda. Our Miss
America is one of you," posted @Blayne_MkltRain.
·
Davuluri, who described her performance
of a Bollywood-style dance at the Miss America pageant a victory for diversity
in the US, appeared unfazed by racism.
·
"I have to rise above that...I
always viewed myself as first and foremost American," the New York native
told a news conference last night after being crowned.
·
The Jezebel feminist blog denounced the
comments against the beauty queen and and said "racists are being racist
because Miss America isn't white."
·
Twitter user @CJlovebug posted:
"This world is so ignorant. #MissAmerica Indian or not had every right to
gain the title of MissAmerica. This is why I want to leave America!"
·
"Stop hating, America. She's one of
us..." tweeted Emma Sydney, while @ericatessa wrote: "I think it's
fabulous that @NinaDavuluri won #MissAmerica! America is about diversity. Not
intolerance."
Formation
|
1921
|
Type
|
Scholarship Pageant
|
Headquarters
|
Linwood, New Jersey
|
Location
|
United States
|
The Miss America pageant is a
long-standing competition that awards scholarships to young women from the 50
states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The
winner of the national pageant is awarded the title of "Miss America"
for one year. The competition is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In January
2006, the pageant moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where it remained for seven years
before returning to Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Year
|
Miss America
|
State Represented
|
Miss America 2014
|
Nina Davuluri
|
New York
|
Miss America 2013
|
Mallory Hagan
|
New York
|
Miss America 2012
|
Laura Kaeppeler
|
Wisconsin
|
Miss America 2011
|
Teresa Scanlan
|
Nebraska
|
Miss America 2010
|
Caressa Cameron
|
Virginia
|
No comments:
Post a Comment