Miss Universe 2021: The winner, the top 10, and how Miss USA did
Andrea Meza reacts as she is crowned by Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi at the 69th Miss Universe Competition at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. on Sunday, May 16, 2021. (Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe via AP) 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. Miss USA Asya Branch on May 16, 2021 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images)Miss USA Asya Branch, a 23-year-old from Mississippi made the first cut, to 21.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 Organizations 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, weve also advanced with stereotypes, she said. Nowadays beauty isnt 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 youre not valuable. The-CNN-Wire Share this:Print Thanks for reading! Get Unlimited Access with a Mercury News digital subscription Subscribe Now 3 months for 99¢ Already a subscriber? Login View more on The Mercury News
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