Miss Universe - Falling, Booing, and a Japanese Winner

Filed in archive Latin Culture , Latin News on May 29, 2007

Everybody knows there's tension between the US and Mexico, due to immigration issues. But that's no excuse for the shameful and aggressive behavior of some people in the audience of the Miss Universe 2007 ceremony in Mexico City last night.

Miss USA Rachel Smith stepped on her evening gown; the poor girl slipped and fell to the floor during the evening gown competition (Watch the Video: MyFoxNY.com). On top of that, Smith was booed during her interview. Several members of the audience chanted "Mexico! Mexico!" until she said "Buenas noches Mexico. Muchas gracias!"

Then the crowd applauded her. That doesn't make any sense. The press is saying that "many felt her fall should have counted against her and were upset that Miss Mexico, Rosa Maria Ojeda, didn't make the top 5." As I've said, that's no excuse for harassing a beauty pageant contestant. C'mon!

According to the Reforma newspaper, a voice on the loudspeaker told the audience to stop booing because "you are giving a negative image of Mexico to all the world, which is watching you." This person, whoever he or she is, was absolutely right.

A bunch of morons acted like uneducated idiots, and their stupidity took Mexico and the Mexicans to the headlines all over the world. Now everybody is reading "Mexicans are disrespectful and aggressive", when in fact the disrespect and the aggression came from just a few Mexicans. What a shame.

And that's not all. According to My Fox:

The crowd wasn't only unruly inside the building. Hours before the pageant began, dozens of protesters held a mock ceremony in downtown Mexico City that featured "Miss Marijuana," "Miss Sexual Health," "Miss Human Rights" and other candidates with obscenities written across their sashes.

The group yelled "Neither ugly nor beautiful, should a woman be considered an object!"

It's so sad. People should think about their country's image before doing things like this. If you want to protest, you're entitled to; but there are right ways to protest, and wrong ways.

Riyo Mori, a 20-year-old dancer from Japan, was crowned Miss Universe 2007. "She is an amazing champion, an amazing woman and I hear that they go totally insane in Japan, so that's good," said Donald Trump

This is the second time Japan has won the Miss Universe title. The last time a Japanese girl won the pageant was in 1959, when Akiko Kojima became the first Miss Universe from Asia.

Natalia Guimaraes, of Brazil, was the first runner-up, and was followed by Ly Jonaitis, from Venezuela, and Honey Lee, from Korea. Rachel Smith finished on fifth place, despite her fall.