Ángela León Yuriar was appointed Miss Grand Mexico 2020 on 13th July 2020 and will be representing Mexico at Miss Grand International 2020 stage that is scheduled to take place on 27th March 2021 in Thailand. Miss Grand International 2019 Valentine Figuera of Venezuela is going to crown her successor at the end of the event finale.
The diva recently posted a video on her social media with a caption, “Thailand here we go,” hinting that she is ready to fly to Thailand for the competition. The video received a lot of backlash because the video showcased Angela in a swimsuit while she showcased her walk and took photos with the Buddha’s sculpture present in the setup. This created a lot of fuss among the pageant fanatics as they pointed that the video hurts the decorum and religious sensitivity.
Angela took the video down but various hardline Buddhist groups have often expressed outrage against foreigners using the sacred image of the Buddha as kitschy souvenirs, tattoos, or decorative items. One of the followers wrote “In her country, it might be normal, but here it’s very inappropriate. I saw that once they used the Buddha’s head to make an ashtray. We have to explain to them and they will understand.”
The diva understood the seriousness of the situation and she took to her social media to apologize by stating, “Thank you to everyone for telling the truth to me, very often we talk on various topics and I know I need to speak on what happened today. At the hotel there is a beautiful place with a pool size Olympic and sculptures of Buddha located beside the pool. We all were happy to be photograph all impressive statues that we did not think that our actions may offend others. Our intention was not to offend anyone. I'm learning the interpretation of different cultures. I made a mistake. Please tell everyone what works best for me. I'm glad to learn and be open to new things, new cultures, and new experiences.”
Where on one hand the people have expressed their disappointment in Angela for using their idol’s image for her video but some pointed out that according to Buddhist teachings, the Buddha himself had asked his followers not to worship him or turn him into an idolatry image. One of the Facebook user commented, “He rejected worshiping the image. His representation is the Dhamma. We are the ones who created such rituals to worship the person instead of his teachings.”
A few days ago, "Nawat" held a press conference for the Miss Grand International 2020 on stating the details for the competition and disclosed that the finale will be hosted on 27th March 2021 at Show DC Hall, Thailand.