How the Indian-origin Miss Japan is busting the pageant winner stereotype

05/09/2017

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Hasina Khatib | September 5, 2017


Meet Priyanka Yoshikawa


Think pageant contestants are all beauty, no brains? Miss World Japan Priyanka Yoshikawa has no time for your stereotypes.
A quick scroll through Priyanka Yoshikawa’s Instagram feed, and you’d be excused for thinking of her as just another twenty-something. The dimpled beauty shares our love-hate relationship with everything from junk food to Doraemon, and isn’t beneath a good ol’ fashioned mirror selfie. You’d almost write her off as just another enterprising millennial—if it weren’t for the regular snaps of the Miss World Japan 2016 sash peppering her feed.

But make no mistake; Yoshikawa has a lofty résumé backing up her credentials as a name to watch out for. If her stint at the Miss Japan beauty pageant hadn’t worked out as marvellously as it did, the sprightly 23-year-old could have taken her pick from a slew of career options—Yoshikawa is the proud owner of an elephant trainer’s license, is passionate about kick-boxing and a self-confessed fitness freak.


After being born and raised in California, she then shuffled around the globe, and calls both Kolkata and Japan home. She ultimately went on to enrol for the Miss Japan pageant at the age of 22, but her victory wasn’t without strings. Born to an Indian father and a Japanese mother, Yoshikawa’s multinational ethnicity attracted the ire of conservative internet trolls. An unfortunate controversy followed her in the wake of her crowning, but she only came out stronger for it and moved on to the Miss World pageant last December, where she placed in the top 20. During a brief visit to India, we caught up with the bubbly beauty queen to talk about what it’s like to wear the Miss Japan crown, her multiple charitable efforts and everything in between.


Congratulations on becoming the second multiracial person to land the coveted Miss Japan title. In hindsight, what do you make of the controversy that followed?
Japan, as a nation, is extremely diverse in ethnicity, which is what made the backlash shocking. But I wasn’t the only one; Ariana Miyamoto faced the same naysayers when she won the Miss Universe Japan title in 2015. The issue at hand is that people need to be educated, and taught that we are just as capable of representing Japan and its varied heritage. It is up to us to take the conversation forward and ensure that the small spark of change is kept alive.


Who do you count as your inspiration?
There’s no denying the doors that Priyanka Chopra has opened for the rest of us by shattering conventions and becoming a household name in the West. I also ended up becoming friends with Ariana [Miyamoto] after I won the title last year, and she has been a pillar of support.


What’s keeping you busy currently?
I’ve recently taken up the mantle as Brand Ambassador for the Eastern Himalayas project with Balipara Foundation, and am excited to be speaking at the forum in November about the inhumane treatment meted out to wild animals. I am also serving as Brand Ambassador for Smile Asia, one of the biggest charities in the continent that helps provide surgical treatment for kids with cleft lips. I hope to raise awareness about this facial deformity as knowledge is sparse about this condition.
How do you deal with the stereotypes that come attached with your beauty pageant title?
I like to believe that beauty cannot exist without purpose. Good looks can only take you so far; it’s the way you conduct yourself and what you’re ultimately striving towards that defines your story.


What would you say is your purpose?
The backlash that I faced after the contest helped me realise that I need to speak up against racial slurs and insults like ‘haffu’ (a colloquial Japanese term for multiracial people). And while I did face a lot of ire, I also received an immense outpouring of support and encouraging messages. I hope to be the voice for this positivity.


What has been your biggest takeaway from your experience in the Miss Japan pageant?
It’s very easy to lose yourself in the glamour of it all. The one thing that I learned was to be honest with myself, regardless of what everyone tries to tell you. I was competing with 118 girls, all of whom had an equal shot at winning. I knew my weaknesses and what I should be focusing my training on. At the end of the day, you’re also competing with yourself and you need to ensure that you come out as a better, stronger person.


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