Miss Earth 2021 Destiny Wagner speaks out against racist post comparing her hair to cow feces
Miss Earth 2021 Destiny Wagner took to social media to speak out against the racist post from a Thailand pageant page comparing her natural hair to cow's feces.
"As the first queen with locs to ever win an international pageant I knew I would be subject to ridicule and criticism because women like me are often underrepresented in this industry," the 25-year-old shared on her Instagram story.
The Belizean beauty further talked about it on her official page and shared photos highlighting some natural queens from her country who are serving natural hair and representing "Black Girl Magic."
"People are often intimated by things they do not understand," she wrote. "Many do not associate natural hair (dreadlocks/locs) with the word 'beautiful'.
"For years black women around the world have been policed for their hair and the history of having 'good hair' comes from colonization, colorism, and racism.
"To many 'hair is just hair' but to many others including myself, hair is identity. My hair symbolizes strength, spirituality, and resilience just like my ancestors.
"This post was meant to break me or attempt to bully me. However, it did not phase me, it fueled me and I hope it fuels you as well to go out there and pursue your dreams regardless of your hair, complexion, economic status, and skin. May it fuel you to speak up against any form of discrimination and may it fuel you to love yourself even more and value the body you were born in."
Miss Earth Belize Organization has expressed support to the beauty queen and called out the Thailand pageant page for "discrimination and outright cyberbullying."
"Beauty comes in many shades, colors, sizes, height, hair textures, eye shapes, cultures, and ethnic identities. It is unfortunate that one pageant page saw it fit to bash our Miss Earth 2021 and all in hopes of degrading a pageant system to elevate one of theirs," the organization said.
The reigning Miss Earth Thailand and Miss Earth-Fire Baitong Jareerat Petsom also shared her dismay and begged her fans to stop this toxic and mean behavior.
Destiny Wagner made history in November last year when she became the first Belizean woman to win the Miss Earth title and the first Belizean delegate to win any of the major international beauty pageants. She was also the first-ever woman in history to be crowned while wearing her natural dreadlocks / locs hair.
In an interview with Channel 5 Belize that Miss Earth organization shared on its page, Destiny said: "Doesn’t matter where you come from, it doesn’t matter what kind of texture of hair you have, or your skin tone. Remain true to yourself because your personality will get into more rewards than your looks has ever thought.”
Photos: Destiny Wagner / Instagram
