Bolivia’s Miss Universe Contender Criticized for ‘Racist’ Remarks on Rival Contestants
Участницы конкурса Miss Universe 2021 купаются в Мертвом море
Remarks that Bolivia’s Miss Universe contender Maria Fernanda Pavisic made in a video have infuriated the public and officials of a Bolivian city.Miss Bolivia Maria Fernanda Pavisic, who will take part in the Miss Universe 2022 pageant, has been accused of making offensive remarks about her rivals after she posted a video on social media last week.In the video, Pavisic referred to Miss Argentina as “Miss Potosí” (Potosí is a city in southern Bolivia) and claimed that Miss Venezuela and Miss Peru look like “transsexuals.”She described Miss Paraguay, Miss Brazil, and Miss El Salvador as “old ladies” and claimed that the beauty queens representing Ecuador, Aruba, and Curaçao all belong in the “thanks for participating” category.After the video went viral, she posted a different clip in which she apologized to the contestants and said that her original remarks were part of a “social experiment” meant to show that social media users tend to share more negative content than positive.
"People decide to support the negative but I risked everything to leave a message, I have always said that it does not matter what people say about you, instead what you think of yourself, and this is clear proof that the last thing that what matters are the comments, but I do care about generating a change or at least that people who see this video and start thinking!" she wrote on social media.
Pavisic said it was not her intention to “involve derogatory comments (there are no insults) to try to cause as little damage as possible to the candidates, and again I apologize because I am not the one to judge them, ‘make fun’ or make them have a hard time (as no one should do).”Despite her apology, Potosi’s authorities considered it insufficient, with the mayor’s office filing a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General, accusing Pavisic of discrimination and racism.
"She has denigrated the Potosian woman, she has no merit or morals to represent Bolivia in an international contest," Potosi mayoral advisor Richard Alejo said.
Roxana Graz, head of the Potosi Civic Committee, called on Promociones Gloria, which is responsible for the Miss Universe franchise in Bolivia, to strip Pavisic of her Miss Bolivia title.