Miss Universe 2019 Winner Zozibini Tunzi Has Twitter Fired Up

Twitter is celebrating Miss Universe 2019 on Monday morning after the pageant aired live on Sunday [...]

By Michael Hein

Twitter is celebrating Miss Universe 2019 on Monday morning after the pageant aired live on Sunday night. Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, was crowned the winner, and her victory was infections. Now, as the pageant intends, the whole world is celebrating along with her.

Tunzi is the star of the show all over social media as news of her Miss Universe victory spreads. She is the main headline on Twitter, where many people feel her tiara is well-deserved.

"She is so beautiful. I hope girls who look like her will feel inspired," one user tweeted.

"With Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi being crowned Miss Universe 2019, history was made," pointed out another. "For the first time EVER!! all 4 major Pageant crown went to black Women!!!! That's so DOPE!!!!!! Nia Franklin, Miss America; Cheslie Kryst, Miss USA; and Kaliegh Garris, Miss Teen USA 2019."

"Great for her. Not only she's beautiful but she's got the brains and poise to go with it. Beauty transcends any barriers," a third person wrote.

Tunzi shared their enthusiasm when she was crowned on Sunday night, giving a powerful, emotional acceptance speech about what it means to be the first black Miss Universe winner in 8 long years.

"I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me — with my kind of skin and my kind of hair — was never considered to be beautiful," she said. "I think it is time that that stops today. I want children to look at me and see my face and I want them to see their faces reflected in mine."

Of course, there were negative comments about Tunzi floating around out there as well, but for the most part they were quickly shouted down. Tunzi herself has shown that she is capable of shutting out negativity effectively without derailing her own message. She did so in an Instagram post back in September, addressing her crowning as Miss South Africa.

"I just want to take a moment to dedicate a post to the unkind comments that I have been receiving about my blackness since my crowning. To comments that are aimed at all brown skinned girls at some point in our lives. Not because it hurts me or gets under my skin, but because I see an opportunity to educate and speak out on a serious issue," she wrote.

"When people say hurtful, negative things about black women and black people in general I do not quickly take offense and here's why. Society has previously been programmed in such a way that there's nothing beautiful about being black," she went on. "The furthest you are from being fair skinned the uglier you are. That unfortunately has been the universal standard of beauty and it is very difficult for some people to unlearn it."

"I am going into Miss Universe with hopes to shatter whatever misconception and stereotypes people have of beauty. These comments are exactly why we should keep inserting ourselves in spaces where we have been told we do not belong and we will never make it."

"It is up to us re-write the narrative. To whoever else thinks that black is not beautiful I cannot wait for you to experience the depth and magic of a black woman. I am a daughter of the African soil and I am beautiful. See your face reflected in mine," she concluded.

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