“Diversity” in the final of Miss Universe 2023, the focus of the contest

Much has been said in recent months about the participation of transgender women, married and with children, and a plus-size candidate in the Miss Universe 2023 that takes place in El Salvador and whose final will focus on “diversity.” .

“Inclusion” and “diversity” in the pageant, which has been held annually for 71 years, began buzzing since October 2022 when Thai business magnate and transgender activist Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip purchased Miss Universe.

Now, the greatest expectation is whether this Miss Universe will go down in history if one of these diverse women is chosen and crowned.

Miss Nepal, the mirror in which millions of women are reflected

The representative of Nepal, Jane Dipika Garrett, made history by being the first plus-size candidate to challenge the established norms in beauty pageants, according to various media outlets.

Although she has received many positive opinions on social networks and great support on Salvadoran soil, some users have also criticized her when trying to justify that she does not meet the traditional beauty standards for the Miss Universe contest.

Garrett is 22 years old, she is a nurse and, as reported on her social networks, represents the ‘body positivity’ movement, challenging the expectations established in beauty pageants.

Its goal is simple: promote body acceptance in all its shapes and sizes.

Transgender representation

In this edition of Miss Universe there are two candidates who are transgender women: the representative of the Netherlands and the representative of Portugal.

Marina Machete, a 28-year-old flight attendant and LGBT+ rights activist, was crowned Miss Portugal last October.

“Proud to be the first trans woman to compete for the title of Miss Universe Portugal,” she wrote at the time on social media before winning the beauty pageant.

In July of this year, Dutch Rikkie Kollé, a 22-year-old trans model, became the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Netherlands.

However, neither Machete nor Kollé will be the first transgenders to compete for the Miss Universe title. In 2018, Ángela Ponce became Miss Spain and managed to reach the final of the pageant.

Married and with children

With the most recent changes to the regulations, Miss Universe also opened its doors to married representatives with children, among them are the candidate from Guatemala, Michelle Cohn, and the one sent by Colombia, María Camila Avella.

Cohn, a 28-year-old model and businesswoman, married in 2016 and has two children.

Avella, for her part, is a 28-year-old Colombian model and presenter, she got married in 2020 and is the mother of a girl.