This year back on March 12 Ariana Miyamoto made history by becoming the first ever bi-racial Miss Universe Japan! Although, her win caused quite a stir what she accomplished could not be silenced by internet trolls or nay-sayers. It wasn’t just the crown that had motivated Ariana to strive for greatness and for the ultimate beauty title in behalf of her country. Miyamoto explained,

“I was asked to join the competition in 2014 by an agency in Nagasaki, and although there were other biracial contestants, none of them won, so I declined, thinking I wouldn’t win anyway. But that same year, I had a biracial friend who killed himself, so for him I wanted to change Japan. I got an offer again this year, so I decided to enter.”

Miyamoto wants to continue to push boundaries of what is considered true beauty in Asian culture. Statistics show that bi-racial or mixed ethnicity children are on the rise in Japan so a strong voice is definitely needed to build esteem and confidence. Standing tall at 5’7 Ariana is up for the challenge to change public opinion. Nevertheless, this is not to say that the Asian community as a whole has not been supportive of her big win. Besides, receiving votes from 7 of the competition’s judges, Ariana says,

“I get voices of support from South Korea, and I think, these countries are neighbours but so different in their opinion of me.”

Ariana is definitely a gorgeous young lady and inspiration that beauty cannot be defined by a certain standard or preconceived list of features. Once again congratulations on your big win this year because we are crushing!

Thoughts? Drop us a comment or hit us up on our Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram or tweet us @1966magazine.