“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.
“I think that it is time that that stops today.”
That’s the message from newly-crowned Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi, who is from South Africa.
More than 90 women from across the world took part in the pageant which was held in Atlanta in the US on Sunday.
Zozibini beat Puerto Rico’s Madison Anderson and Mexico’s Sofia Aragon in the final three to take the tiara.
Finalists in the competition were asked a range of questions on topics such as climate change, protest and social media.
In her final question, 26-year-old Zozibini was asked what we should be teaching young girls today. Her answer was leadership. “It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time – not because we don’t want to, but because of what society has labelled women to be,” she said.
“I think we are the most powerful beings on the world, and that we should be given every opportunity. “And that is what we should be teaching these young girls – to take up space.” Zozibini is the first black woman to win the competition since Leila Lopes in 2011.
The Angolan former winner congratulated her in a post on Instagram, writing: “Congrats girl you did us very proud. Reflecting on her win, Zozibini wrote: “Tonight a door was opened and I could not be more grateful to have been the one to have walked through it.
“May every little girl who witnessed this moment forever believe in the power of her dreams and may they see their faces reflected in mine. “I proudly state my name Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe 2019!” The hashtag #MissUniverse was trending on Twitter and she even got a shout-out from Oprah Winfrey. (BBC)
