Miss Universe Canada candidate Nova Stevens, an ardent spokesperson against racism, was “disappointed” by the barrage of slurs she received from some Filipino netizens.
MODEL Nova Stevens, who is representing Canada in this year’s Miss Universe pageant, called out several Filipino fans for making fun of her appearance.
On Tuesday (May 4), Stevens posted a photo of herself superimposed with negative comments from social media.
Among the racist and hurtful comments were “akala ko engkanto” “nognog,” “hindi sa hinuhusgahan ko pero natatakot ako sa kanya promise..parang hindi siya tao.”
The photo she posted also included English translations of the comments which were, “N words,” “Scary”, “I thought she was a ghost,” and “She is toasted and burnt.”
Stevens said she was "really disappointed with some pageant fans from certain countries."
"No one is saying you have to support all contestants, all we’re saying is that you support your delegate without bringing others down," Stevens said in part.
"You don’t need to dim someone’s light in order for you to shine."
Stevens later updated a portion of the photo caption to say that her response was "not a generalization" of Filipino fans as she was unsure of the language the comments were in until after she called them out.
Her tone changed, however, in a follow-up post, where she shared some of the positive messages she has been receiving from her Filipino fans.
She apologized to them and said she just wanted to shed a light on the toxicity that exists in the pageant world.
Miss Universe Philippines Rabiya Mateo also apologized on behalf of her countrymen for the comments and requested them to stop the social media abuse, online hate and bullying.
Stevens will be competing alongside Philippines' bet Rabiya Mateo and 72 others in the Miss Universe 2020 pageant in Hollywood, Florida on May 16 (May 17 in Manila).
Hailing from Vancouver, B.C., Stevens is an anti-racism activist, a Black woman, and an absolute inspiration.
She co-organized a march for Black Lives Matter this year which brought more than 15,000 people together. (NP)
Tags: #MissUniverse, #NovaStevens, #racism, #cyberbullying