India's Lara Dutta won the Miss Universe title in 2000. And now, after over two decades, another Indian, Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, bags the crown to become the Miss Universe 2021. Harnaaz is from Chandigarh, a small town and city of India, which happens to be the capital of two Indian states – Haryana and Punjab. However, there's more to this small town girl than just being the new Miss Universe. She is just 21 years old and is making it to the news for all the right reasons. Here are a few other interesting things about the new Miss Universe.
Harnaaz's Career In Beauty Pageants
Harnaaz began her career in modeling and show business when she was a teenager. Winning the title of Miss Chandigarh was one of her achievements in 2017. Soon after that, she won the Miss Max Emerging Star India and Femina Miss India Punjab in 2018.
She Chose An Indian Costume
Harnaaz chose to wear a saree for her Miss Universe beauty pageants final. She thinks that the Indian dress best depicts the strong yet delicate nature of Indian women. The key design elements of the saree she wore at the mega event were mirrors and an umbrella. According to her social media post, these were symbolic of the protective nature of women.
She Had Her Struggle With Mental Health Issues
"I have had an incredible journey," said Sandhu in a recent interview. Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu spoke openly about her life when conversing with a women's health magazine. She revealed that she had been a victim of body shaming.
She has moved past those bullies. And Harnaaz feels now very happy to have the chance to stand up to inspire girls who get body shamed with her story.
In her interview with India's leading business-focused daily Economic Times, she also shared her journey of finally becoming a beauty pageant winner and the mental struggles of being bullied as a child, her looks on body positivity, and much more.
Career In Acting
In her interview with India's leading business-focused daily Economic Times, she shared her journey of finally becoming a beauty pageant winner. She also spoke about the mental struggles of being bullied as a child, her looks on body positivity, etc.
Her Inspiration
Priyanka Chopra is an inspiration to many aspiring Indian actors and fashion models. And Harnaaz is no exception. After winning the crown of Miss Universe, Harnaaz revealed how she draws inspiration from Priyanka Chopra. Priyanka Chopra, The Matrix Resurrections actress is of Indian descent too, and she won the Miss World title in 2000.
Harnaaz spoke high of the former Miss World and says she tries to follow her dreams and achieve her goals just like her role model did. After Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu won the title of Miss Universe, Priyanka Chopra congratulated her for their success through Instagram.
Values Of Women's Empowerment
Today, Harnaaz is one of the strongest advocates for women's empowerment. With the privilege of being raised by a strong mother, Harnaaz could fight against body shaming and bullying with ease. She also has the experience of working at the grassroots level while assisting her mother at a health campus.
The focus of these health camps was menstrual hygiene and health. All the wealth of moral knowledge that she received from her mother makes her a strong believer and executor of women's empowerment.
She Is A Fun Loving Woman
According to the latest reports, the new Miss Universe 2021 winner does many things in her spare time. And this includes cooking, yoga, riding horses, playing chase, and of course, dancing. She loves to rejuvenate herself in the pool and is a music lover. Besides that, Harnaaz can mimic anyone and everyone, including animals. She also loves writing poems in her mother tongue Punjabi.
Harnaaz used to chant motivational words for being unique. And she is a great advocate of believing in oneself. She says it's important to become a better version of oneself rather than competing with others. You can follow Harnaaz on Instagram to know more about her and get some fashion advice.
She has come a long way following her dreams. However, we are sure that this is just the beginning of the massive list of accomplishments that await this pretty lady! And we hope her journey inspires young women everywhere to follow their dreams and achieve success in all walks of life.
