Pakistan’s First Miss Universe Contestant Sparks Controversy and Support

A Miss Universe Nomination in History

Erica Robin, a Christian 24-year-old from Karachi, is the first woman from Pakistan to represent the country in the Miss Universe contest. She beat out five other contestants to become Miss Universe Pakistan. The competition took place in the Maldives and was put on by the Dubai-based Yugen Group, which also runs the Miss Universe pageants in Bahrain and Egypt.

Responding to and criticising for Miss Universe contestant

Erica Robin’s nomination has met with backlash and criticism, mostly from Pakistani men who don’t want her to be in the show. Some people say that Pakistan, which mostly made up of Muslims, doesn’t want to featured in beauty pageants.

Miss Pakistan World is the most famous beauty contest for Pakistani women, but there aren’t many of them in Pakistan itself. The country has been in foreign beauty pageants before, but it has never put forward a candidate for Miss Universe.

In support of her proposal, Erica Robin said that she wants to change the idea that Pakistan is a backward country.

Reactions and support were mixed

In spite of the controversy, Erica Robin get support from many people, such as models, writers, and journalists who have praised her work. Some people have praised her for being both pretty and smart.

Model Vaneeza Ahmed questioned the unfair treatment. She questioned why males can be supportive of “Mr. Pakistan” and other international male beauty pageants yet angry when a woman wins.

Social norms and contradictions

Author Rafay Mehmood says that Pakistan is a country full of contradictions and that women and other marginalised groups are often the targets of social triggers. The country has a lot of authoritarian tendencies and patriarchal ideals that affect how people act in institutions and in society as a whole.

China used to be more open-minded, and nightclubs and bars there used to have foreign cabaret and belly dancers. But things changed in the 1970s, when General Zia ul-Haq turned the country into an Islamic Republic and put Islamic law into effect. Over time, society went from being more open to being more conservative.

The people of Pakistan still want to make the country less closed off and more open-minded. In the nomination of Erica Robin, which shows that she wants to push boundaries and go against social norms, this desire can seen.

Trying to Get Past Stereotypes

Erica Robin, who went to St. Patrick’s High School and the Government College of Commerce and Economics, has not changed her mind. She motivated to disprove what many people think about Pakistan. And then, she says that her participation in events that seen around the world does not violate any laws.