Former Miss World Diana Hayden on Friday criticised Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb for raising questions about her 1997 win. While addressing an event in Agartala on Thursday, the chief minister said he did not think Hayden was worthy of the crown. He compared her to Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai, who, in his opinion, better represented the essence of Indian beauty.
Hayden said it was ironical that she was criticised for spreading “appreciation of our Indian brown exotic beauty”. “It’s a pity and shame that when you win the biggest and most respected beauty pageant in the world, you get criticised and put down as opposed to being appreciated and respected for bringing more accolades back home and further appreciation of our Indian brown exotic beauty,” Hayden told PTI. It’s also hurtful,” she said in a statement to PTI.
Hayden said she was okay with people thinking that she did not deserve the title. “But what gets to me is that this comes down to skin colour,” she told NDTV. She added that the chief minister’s statement exposed how Indians stigmatise the brown skin. “Shame on him as our beautiful, exotic brown colouring is to be proud of. I sure am!” she said.
On Friday, Chief Minister Deb, however, said that he was talking about how the handloom industry in Tripura should be promoted. Deb said that he did not intend to hurt anybody’s sentiments.
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