{"id":75008,"date":"2021-12-14T01:23:49","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T01:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=75008"},"modified":"2021-12-14T01:23:49","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T01:23:49","slug":"miss-universe-harnaaz-sandhu-indias-first-winner-21-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefastfashion.com\/?p=75008","title":{"rendered":"Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu is India’s first winner in 21 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bollywood actress Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe 2022 on Sunday, snatching the title from some 80 competitors in the\u00a0international pageant\u00a0that defied politics and the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n

The\u00a021-year-old titleholder\u00a0said she was feeling \u201coverwhelmed because it\u2019s been 21 years since India got Miss Universe crown \u2014 and it\u2019s happening right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Miss Universe 2021\u00a0Andrea Meza of Mexico\u00a0crowned her successor in the contest set in the Israeli Red Sea resort town of Eilat. The event took place the middle of the night \u2014 wrapping up at 5 a.m. local time (10 p.m. EST) to accommodate the lucrative US primetime schedule, the\u00a0Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n

The Miss Universe production included the traditional displays of national costumes, swimwear and a series of interview questions putting contestants\u2019 public speaking skills to the televised test.<\/p>\n

The pageant went down without incident in Israel despite fears of the\u00a0Omicron variant\u00a0and\u00a0political clashes\u00a0over the country\u2019s treatment of Palestinians. The country had announced it would impose new travel restrictions amid the spread of the Omicron virus, including\u00a0banning foreigners from entering the country.<\/p>\n

However, tourism officials granted the contestants waivers that required them to get\u00a0tested on site every 48 hours and wear masks at all times when not on stage.<\/p>\n\n

All competitors and staff also had to be fully vaccinated within six months to attend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year being in Israel added new challenges as we had to stay up to date on which vaccines would be accepted, the travel and quarantine days,\u201d Meg Omecene, Miss Universe\u2019s director of communications,\u00a0told CNN.<\/p>\n

On Sunday night, the Philippines\u2019 Beatrice Luigi Gomez temporarily pulled focus with an asymmetrical cut dress with one sleeve, highlighting a new tattoo she said \u201ccelebrates her womanhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the contest also drew attention in recent weeks for other reasons.<\/p>\n

A grassroots Palestinian-led boycott had urged contestants to skip the event to protest\u00a0Israel\u2019s treatment of the Palestinians.<\/p>\n

In the end, only Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country with close ties to the Palestinians, did not send a representative, citing the global COVID-19 situation. The South African government, which also strongly supports the Palestinian cause,\u00a0withdrew support for the country\u2019s representative\u00a0over her participation.<\/p>\n

Adv<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n