Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe at the 69th annual pageant, which was delayed several months because of Covid-19.
“MÉXICO ESTO ES PARA TI,” Meza, 26, wrote in the caption of an Instagram post — “Mexico this is for you.”
The competition was held in Hollywood, Florida, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and was hosted by Mario Lopez of “Access Hollywood” and Olivia Culpo, the 2012 Miss Universe.
Meza beat 73 other women; runners-up were Miss Brazil Julia Gama and Miss Peru Janick Maceta Del Castillo.
Latin America and the Caribbean were heavily represented in the Top 10: Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico, as well as Australia, India and Thailand.
“I am so honored to have been selected among the 73 other amazing women I stood with tonight,” Meza said in a news release from Miss Universe Organization. “It is a dream come true to wear the Miss Universe crown, and I hope to serve the world through my advocacy for equality in the year to come and beyond.”
Zozibini Tunzi, the first Black woman from South Africa to win the crown, had held the title since December 2019.
Meza, who is from the city of Chihuahua, is a model and makeup artist and has a degree in software engineering, according to Miss Universe Organization’s news release.
She is also an activist and “works closely with the Municipal Institute for Women, which aims to end gender-based violence,” the release said.
In her final statement during the pageant, Meza spoke about beauty standards.
“We live in a society that more and more is more than advanced, and as we advance as a society, we’ve also advanced with stereotypes,” she said. “Nowadays beauty isn’t only the way we look. For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirit, but in our hearts and the way that we conduct ourselves. Never permit someone to tell you that you’re not valuable.”
The-CNN-Wire
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