Controversy over Carolina Shiino, Winner of Miss Japan 2024, Born in Ukraine - Receives Mixed Reactions

Kapanlagi.com - Written by: Antonia Rucita Nurak

It is undeniable that there are many controversial aspects in the beauty pageant industry. Beauty pageants often cause problems when netizens, in particular, perceive someone (contestant) to be different or not show the expected identity or beauty.

However, the current controversy is not about beauty but identity, regarding who has the right to represent the ethnic representation of Japan. Carolina Shiino was recently crowned as the winner of the Miss Grand Prix Japan pageant. However, her coronation has sparked both support and opposition from the public due to her questioned ethnic identity.

Shiino's victory comes a decade after Ariana Miyamoto in 2015, became the first biracial woman to win a beauty pageant in the country. Although Ariana was born in Japan to a Japanese mother, her father is African-American. At that time, Ariana's victory was debated by netizens as mixed race.

Now Shiino is also sparking a debate about whether she should represent Japan even though she does not have Japanese ethnicity. However, beauty competitions do not have rules regarding ethnicity. So why does her victory cause controversy? Read more to find out.

1. Controversy Arises Among Netizens Regarding Ethnicity

Instagram.com/karoina0824

On social media, netizens express their frustration by arguing that, even though Shiino is a Japanese citizen, she must be of Japanese descent to win this beauty competition. Someone who wins a beauty competition should represent the identity or ethnicity of their country.

However, it should be noted that Miss Nippon, like beauty competitions worldwide, does not have rules regarding ethnicity. The rules only stipulate that participants must be citizens of a country to participate. There is no distinction between naturalized citizens and citizens born naturally.

Nevertheless, some netizens consider this not to be wrong. They see Carolina Shiino's crowning as a display of diversity in Japan. For them, opposition to Shiino is simply an unfounded act of racism.

2. Carolina Shiino Born in Ukraine

Instagram.com/karoina0824

The reason why Shiino's victory sparked controversy is because she is a foreign-born Japanese citizen. It is known that Shiino was born in Ternopil, Ukraine, to Ukrainian parents.

Her mother's name is Lana Shiino, who later married a Japanese man when Shiino was only five years old. Since then, she and her mother have permanently moved to Japan.

3. Becoming a Japanese Citizen

Instagram.com/karoina0824

After living in Japan for almost 21 years, in 2022, Shiino received her Japanese citizenship. Carolina Shiino became a legitimate Japanese citizen through naturalization.

Her last name, Shiino, was taken from her stepfather's name. Now KLovers, despite the pros and cons surrounding Carolina Shiino, she became the first naturalized Japanese citizen to win the contest. Although many refer to her as not being like 'Miss Japan'. According to the organizers of the Miss Japan Grand Prix, Shiino is able to speak and write in beautiful and polite Japanese language, and she is more Japanese than the Japanese themselves.

(kpl/arn)