Model Karolina Shiino, who sparked debate in Japan by winning a national beauty pageant, has relinquished her title just two weeks after being crowned.
The Ukrainian-born beauty queen who sparked a debate on cultural identity by being named Miss Japan has relinquished her title just two weeks after being crowned. Karolina Shiino, the first person of predominantly European heritage ever to win the Miss Nippon contest , announced her decision to step down on Monday following local newspaper allegations of an affair with a married man. In a statement posted to Instagram, the 26-year-old model apologized to the man’s family and those involved.
” Despite being a naturalized citizen who speaks fluent Japanese and has lived in the country since she was 5 years old, Shiino’s pageant victory proved controversial, with some critics questioning whether someone without Japanese ethnicity could encapsulate the country’s beauty ideals. “I wanted to be recognized as a Japanese person,” Shiino told CNN in Tokyo following her win last month.