Canada crowns Mariana Valente to be this country's representative to the Miss Universe 2009 pageant to be held in Nassau, Bahamas in August 23. The 23-year old beauty queen who is originally from Brazil and moved to Canada when she was 12 was crowned as Miss Canada Universe 2009 at John Bassett Theatre in Toronto, May 16.Have you noticed that lately Canada is not selecting pure Canadians to represent this country in international pageants? I just noticed that their recent beauty titleholders are of mix blood. Most of them are immigrants.
Natalie Glebova who won Miss Universe 2005 is from Russia and Miss Earth 2007, Jessica Trisko is of Filipino heritage. Miss World 2003 First Princess, Nazanin Afshin-Jam has Iranian parents.
Going back to Miss Canada Universe 2009, Valente is a student of languages at York University. She is 1.72 meters tall.
The first runner up is a contestant from Canada's Next Top Model. She is 26-year old Ylenia Aurucci. Ksenia Mezenina is second runner up. Neda Derakshan is third runner up while fourth runner up is Isabelle Grastin.
Even the courts of Valente are not pure Canadians, I guess. Their names sound Russian. I know for a fact that Neda has Iranian blood because I posted a blog entry about her here.
There are 56 women who competed in this year's pageant.
For the special awards, TingJia Lorogiano is People's Choice Award. Chanel Beckenlehner is Miss Elegance and Audience Favourite. Xiao Sun is Best in Runway while Cristina Heslenfeld is Best in Swimwear.
Have you noticed it again? Even the winners of the minor awards are not pure Canadians. Well, this means Canada is a melting pot of all nationalities around the world.
I don't mean to be critical, but the only "pure Canadians" in Canada are the First Nations people. Canada, like the U.S., is a country built on immigrants. In the past, most immigrants came from Great Britain and the rest of Europe. In recent years, immigration from Africa, Latin America and Asia has increased. Just because someone is of Chinese or Russian or Iranian heritage, it doesn't mean they aren't a "true" Canadian. Canada is a country that embraces people from all over the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jules. I myself, though born in Canada over 30 years ago, am not "pure Canadian" because my ancestors are not from Canada. Anyone who is a Canadian citizen is as "pure Canadian" as anyone else.
ReplyDeleteI have to say...I was shocked when I was just watching etalk news tonight. I never follow this stuff...but...someone who was not born in Canada is Miss Canada??? I do not get that! She most definitely is very beautiful...but...come on now...she was not even born in this country! I totally believe that the first true Canadians are the First Nations Peoples, but I myself could not even come to close to tracing my ancestors back to anywhere but Canada. Being born in Canada means that you are Canadian...first. I do not believe that someone who is not born in our wonderful country should be representing our wonderful country in a universal pageant.
ReplyDeleteI just reread the comments preceding my own and I am now just getting that they are saying that I am not a true Canadian. I have to totally disagree with that. I do not have direct First Nations descendants, but I could not begin to think how far back my European descendants go. I am Canadian.
ReplyDeleteWell most-recent-Anonymous - I dont think that anyone was saying you arent Canadian, unless maybe the Anonymous before you who thinks that only people born in Canada should represent the country. What the first two people seem to be saying is that it makes no sense to continually point out people as not being "pure Canadian" since - aside from Aboriginal people - everyone here is an immigrant/settler-colonizer. "Canadian" is a political construct in a way that say - English, French or Irish identities - are not. Those countries are occupied and controlled by the very people who have lived there for thousands of years - in "Canada" the people who have been here for thousands of years are denied control of their lands and their communities by (mostly) people of European descent, who, having violently wrested control of land (and children - think of the residential schools) created the concept of "Canada" as a cover story. One that almost everyone has bought. Anyways - if we have to have it, it pleases me to see the concept of "Canadian" stop being so euro-centric and white supremacist.
ReplyDeleteJules, you are not being critical. I'm a brazilian who grew up in the states since I was 12 like her in Canada, I'm just as an american as any other Joe! Comments like those just shows how ignorant people still are on this Earth.
ReplyDelete