Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi was crowned Miss Universe 2019 in the ceremony held in Atlanta in the US on Sunday. Zozibini was competing with Miss Universe Puerto Rico Madison Anderson for the coveted title. The second runner-up was Miss Mexico. And Miss India Vartika Singh, who represented the country in the 68th edition of Miss Universe, made it to the top 20 contestants.
Making a statement... This is Miss Universe South Africa.#MissUniverse2019 LIVE on @FOXtv. Airing in Spanish on @Telemundo. pic.twitter.com/FWpqb0517w
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 9, 2019
Tonight a door was opened and I could not be more grateful to have been the one to have walked through it.
— Zozibini Tunzi (@zozitunzi) December 9, 2019
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 am #MissUniverse2019. pic.twitter.com/gMkjmVCabo
The answer which won Zozibini the Miss Universe pageant was to the question, “What is the most important thing you should be teaching young girls today?”
To this, the 26-year-old answered that the most important thing girls need to be taught is leadership, which was lacking in them because of social structures binding them. She said girls need to be encouraged to take up space.
Final Word: SOUTH AFRICA#MissUniverse2019 LIVE on @FOXtv. Airing in Spanish on @Telemundo. pic.twitter.com/kk1ySPXxXU
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 9, 2019
Miss India Vartika, who is originally from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, has won many beauty pageants in the past including Miss Diva Universe, Miss Grand International and Miss Diva, which was also her first victory in 2014. She holds a degree in clinical nutrition and a masters in public health. Vartika was working with the World Bank before she started participating in beauty pageants.
Next to make it in to the Top 20... INDIA!!! #MissUniverse2019 LIVE on @FOXtv. Airing in Spanish on @Telemundo. pic.twitter.com/b0ZLf0DVDr
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) December 9, 2019
In an interview with Zoom TV in November, Vartika said, “Winning is not the ultimate thing for me but India hasn't won Miss Universe in 19 years and I want to end this prolonged gap.”
She also revealed that her parents did not know, and were shocked when they found out that she was opting for modelling. “It was a cultural shock for my parents when I told them that the world of beauty is my career choice. My parents didn't know at first. They got to know from a newspaper and they didn't know how to react.”
“My dad told me that there are multiple opportunities for people to serve their nation and this is my opportunity to serve my nation with my hard work and talent. He told me to do this not just for me but for India,” she said.
(IANS inputs)