WHILE not exactly known as a beacon of women’s rights, Miss Universe Myanmar 2018 caught even its critics off guard last weekend when unbridled misogyny reared its ugly head and stole the finale. Despite judges and the public unanimously crowning Hnin Thway Yu Aung the winner of Miss Universe Myanmar 2018, hordes of misogynist trolls, both at the crowning ceremony and online, made sure to ruin what should have been a joyous occasion for the 21-year-old from Bago.





When Hnin Thway Yu Aung was being presented with the coveted crown by last year’s winner Zun Than Sin, cries of “Why her?”, “Look at how tall she is, she’s the shortest one up there” and “How can she compete looking like that?” emanated from the mostly male crowd gathered at the ballroom of the Grandamar Wholesale Centre in Mayangone.

As one could expect, internet trolls, again mostly male, buoyed by the power of anonymity and incensed because this woman committed the cardinal sin of winning a beauty pageant, took to Facebook in their hundreds to have their opinions heard.

"I no longer support the contest as I guess Myanmar won't take home any award [in the international final] because she will be invisible among all the other tall contestants," said Facebook user Gaw Chan.

“She looks like a fish monger,” commented Ko Yin Maung.

“What a short height. Did they choose her using the Bago standard? She couldn’t even reach Zun Than Sin’s height even though she was wearing high-heels,” user Shayl Maungsar commented on the Miss Universe Myanmar Facebook page.

Unfortunately, there will always be people, particularly in a competition of this nature, who undermine women for how they look. This recent upswell of misogyny aimed at Hnin Thway Yu Aung isn’t unique, says the event’s organizers.

"Every year, we are faced with this kind of problem; body shaming after the winner is announced. I don’t think it matters to the winner and I believe that she will try her best to win the title,” said Soe Yu Wai, National Director of Miss Universe Myanmar.





Despite Soe Yu Wai’s assurance, Miss Universe Myanmar was clearly shaken by the abuse she copped at the final. In her acceptance speech she vowed to “train harder and get healthier to get a perfect body.”

Let’s just hope that that this nasty experience gives her the strength to go and represent Myanmar at the Miss Universe 2018 finale next year. For now though, the tiara awarded to those most in fear of their own inadequacies sits firmly on the heads of the trolls.