It came as a surprise to many when Davina Bennett from Jamaica was crowned 2nd runner-up today at Miss Universe 2017. The social media saw a storm in the form of fans’ wrath after she was not declared as the winner today.
In the opinion of many, Davina aced the ‘Question and Answer round’ where she gave a brilliant answer on the topic of Sexual harassment.
Her reply was no doubts apt and insight-full. “Sexual harassment is a form of abuse and no abuse should be tolerated, whether in the workplace or in society. I believe that men and women should come together and be professional. Leave this act alone and anything that happens such as sexual harassment should be taken to the law and be dealt with,” she replied confidently.
While that answer rocked, her final words after entering Top 3 received a thunderous applause from the crowd.
The question was, ''What quality in yourself are you most proud of and how will you apply that to your time as Miss Universe?''
To this, she replied, “The quality that I am most appreciative of is my drive and my determination. I am part of a foundation that spreads awareness for the deaf community. This platform is such a great platform to let people know that these people’s need equal opportunities as the other community. So, Miss Universe platform will be the platform to spread awareness for all the dead awareness.”
The comments started pouring in just after her being called the 2nd runner-up. Some called the judges and the Miss Universe organization biased mainly on the basis of her colour, her short hair and because these people considered her answer the most heart-felt and inspiring.
Davina was a crowd favourite in the competition from the beginning. She won viewers over with her confidence, carefree attitude, and short hair. In a sea of long-haired women, Davina stood out.
This is not the first time that the people have shown their rage against the decision of not making a Jamaican beauty a winner. The same incident happened in 2014 when Colombia’s Paulina Vega was crowned as Miss Universe 2014 and Jamaica’s Kaci Fennell only made it in the final Top 5 cut.
Kaci, a pixie-haired girl, earned the spot of fourth runner-up — not too shabby, considering how many girls compete. But, by the end of the night #MissJamaicaShouldHaveWon was a trending topic on Twitter. Many thought that Kaci’s answer and presentation were way better than the winner of the night.
The facts surely speak louder than words though. There is no doubt that the girls with longer manes, hour-glass figure and fair colour have won more Miss Universe titles. It’s an unsaid truth that in our society, we have defined the beauty of a woman according to some set qualifications.
Well, fair or unfair, that’s an opinion everyone is entitled to hold, but we surely know that all the Top 3 finalists would be glorified in their respective wins and would be proud of themselves for coming this far in the competition and beating the other 90 candidates.