If you dare tip over a Miss Universe's crown, chances are, one of her sisters will swoop in to put it back on her head. This is what occured when Catriona Gray spoke up for Harnaaz Sandhu, who was subject to unpleasant, body-shaming comments on Instagram.
In videos posted by the Miss Universe Organization, the reigning queen was answering fan questions, and greeting netizens a Happy International Women's Day last March 8. Unfortunately, certain users couldn't stop themselves from making unsolicited comments about her supposed weight gain.
LOOK: Catriona Gray's response to netizens who were body-shaming Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu
In an interview with columnist Nickie Wang, Catriona gave her two cents on the matter. “It's really unfortunate that the public still finds the need to tear women down in that way. We're campaigning so hard that beauty queens or Miss Universe should be more than an image," she states. "She is not limited by what her body shape is. She is a spokesperson at the end of the day."
Catriona adds, “What message do we send to other young girls or other young people in the public or on social media when they read those comments and compare their bodies?” She reminds people about it, especially since it's Women's Month, and that no one deserves to be ridiculed for how they look. "Let's celebrate women for what they give to the table which is their voice, their platform," she puts it simply.
This is not the first time Catriona has spoken up about body-shaming, whether towards herself or her peers. In 2019, the Fil-Aussie took to Twitter to declare that "it is never, ever okay to put someone down for the sake of 'expressing your opinion.' With words come power and we should be using those words to build someone up and not pull them down.”
The beauty queen points out that the pandemic has taken its toll on people in different ways, and that here should be no issue if someone's appearance noticeably changed because of it. "I really sympathize with young women everywhere because this pandemic has not been kind to everyone. I would encourage those young women to remember what their dreams are. There is a time when it's time to dream again and to continue towards that."
Way to go, Cat!
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