Miss Finland, Sarah Dzafce, has been dethroned and stripped of her crown for making gestures considered racist in Asian countries. The government of Finland is currently facing strong pressure and accusations from several countries after its representative for the Miss Universe 2025 pageant was seen pulling at the corners of her eyes in a photo, and some Finnish politicians posted their own photos repeating the gesture. The photo, with its caption reading 'eating with a Chinese person,' was condemned by governments and commentators throughout Finland and Asia. Dzafce, who won Miss Finland in September, told Finnish media that she was trying to relieve a headache. The Helsinki Times reported that she claimed a friend had shared the private image and written the caption without her involvement. On December 8, Dzafe posted an apology on social media and stated that it was never her intention to offend anyone. 'The title of Miss Finland is not just a crown for me, but also a responsibility. A responsibility for how I speak, how I act, and how my actions can affect people,' she wrote. The government of Japan has communicated with the Finnish embassy in Tokyo expressing its concerns. Due to all of this, they preferred to remove her from all pageants to not associate with people who do not know how to behave.
