Finland’s representative to last month’s Miss Universe pageant in Thailand has sparked an outcry after a photograph she shared on social media showed her performing a gesture widely considered racist.
Sarah Dzafce’s act triggered a backlash across East Asia and drew criticism not only at the model herself but also the country’s national brand.
Ms Dzafce was stripped of her Miss Finland title after the image showed her pulling the corners of her eyes to perform a slanted eye gesture – widely regarded as racist towards East Asians, especially the Chinese.
The image which was posted late November with a caption “eating with a Chinese” has sparked outrage in China, Japan, and South Korea, where users accused the 22-year-old of racial mockery.
The backlash soon widened to include Finland’s national airline, Finnair, which faced online criticism despite having no involvement in the incident.
Ms Dzafce said the gesture was her reaction to “severe headaches” and blamed her friend for adding the caption on the post without her permission.
She, however, apologised after it caused “ill will in many people”.
“That was not my intention in any way… One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences,” she wrote on an Instagram post.
On Tuesday, Finland’s prime minister publicly criticised the gesture, describing it as “thoughtless and stupid” and warning that the episode had been “damaging” to the country’s international reputation.
“Yesterday, during a debate in parliament, I said that this has caused damage to our country. That is certainly the case,” Petteri Orpo told reporters on Tuesday following a summit with European countries near Russian border.
“Personally, I do not accept racism in any form,” he said.
The issue snowballed after two members of parliament, Kaisa Garedew and Juho Eerola, also posted images of themselves doing the same gesture to support Ms Dzafce. The posts were criticised and Mr Eerola was forced to issue an apology. He said he felt Ms Dzafce was given a “disproportionately harsh punishment”.
The Finnish government’s parliamentary group chair Jukka Kopra said “this should not have happened”, condemning the series of “derogatory” and “inappropriate” incidents.
Mr Orpo said he believes that the parliamentary group “will deal with this matter with the appropriate seriousness”.
Finnish airline Finnair said the posts had affected the company, and it faced boycott calls.
“We have received several comments on Finnair’s Japanese X account about these images, which are considered racist and discriminatory,” Finnair’s communications director Paivyt Tallqvist told Yle.
“The message in the comments is consistent: do not travel to this country, do not travel with Finnair.”
In a separate statement on X from its Japanese account, it said: “The statements or posts mentioned by some Finnish members of parliament do not represent the values of Finnair.”
“As an airline supported by employees from diverse backgrounds and customers around the world, we promise to welcome everyone with respect,” it wrote.
Tara Lehtonen, who finished second in the competition, has been named the new Miss Finland.
“I promise to carry this title with pride and deep respect,” the Helsinki native said in a post on social media.
Mexico’s Fatima Bosch was crowned winner at the grand finale of the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand, after weeks of controversy plaguing the annual event. Representatives from 120 countries competed, including Nadeen Ayoub, who became the first woman to represent the Palestinian people at the pageant and reached the top 30 before being eliminated.
