The Miss Finland Organisation has revoked the national title of the reigning queen, Sarah Dzafce, citing “racist behaviour” following an alleged racially charged social media post that surfaced weeks after she represented Finland at the Miss Universe 2025 pageant in Thailand. The decision, announced on the organisation’s Instagram page on December 12, comes days after Sarah had issued an initial apology for her actions. Also read | Miss Universe India Organisation breaks silence on Miss Universe 2025 controversies: ‘Must address the hurtful comments’
The decision came after a photo reportedly showed Sarah Dzafce pulling her eyes into a slanted shape — a gesture widely seen as a racist caricature of East Asian people. (Instagram/ Sarah Dzafce)
Organisation cites breach of core values
In a formal statement on December 11, the Miss Finland Organisation declared the difficult but “necessary decision,” sharing that the content published on Sarah’s social media was “offensive, harmful, and completely against the values of the Miss Finland competition.”
“The Miss Finland Organisation states clearly and unambiguously that we do not accept racism or discriminatory behaviour in any form,” the statement read. “We are guided by the values of respect, equality, responsibility, and human dignity. These principles are not negotiable.” The organisation specifically offered an apology “especially to the Asian community, but also to everyone affected,” stating that racism was never acceptable.
The Miss Finland title, which has been awarded since 1931, “is a position of trust, representing Finland and Finnish people to the world,” the organisation stated, concluding that Sarah’s actions represented a fundamental failure in the responsibility required of a national role model.
The organisation said, “The events of recent days have caused deep hurt, disappointment, and concern both in Finland and internationally — fully understandably. The content published on the reigning Miss Finland’s social media has been offensive, harmful, and completely against the values of the Miss Finland competition. We are deeply sorry for the harm these events have caused. Especially to the Asian community, but also to everyone affected. Racism is never acceptable in any form.”
The controversial post
The controversy stems from a photograph posted by Sarah Dzafce on the social media platform Jodel, according to a December 12 report by Yle News. The picture reportedly showed Sarah pulling her eyes into a slanted shape with her fingers, a gesture seen as a racist caricature against people of East Asian descent.
The text accompanying the image, written in Finnish, was reportedly “kiinalaisenkaa syömäs,” which translates roughly to “eating with a Chinese person.” Days earlier, on December 8, Sarah had collaborated with the Miss Finland Organisation on an apology post, which reportedly translated to: “I fully understand that my actions have caused ill will in many people and I am deeply sorry for that… I want to apologise, especially to those who have been personally affected by this situation. That was not my intention in any way.”
Miss Universe 2025 plagued by scandals
Sarah Dzafce’s disciplinary action is the latest in a series of issues connected to the Miss Universe 2025 competition, which concluded with Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch being crowned in Bangkok, Thailand. Days after the final event, Miss Haiti, Melissa Sapini, publicly demanded an independent investigation into a series of allegations that plagued the run-up to the pageant, which included claims of bias and rigging.
The pageant was also marred by an accident during the preliminary rounds. Miss Jamaica, Gabrielle Henry, fell off the stage during the evening gown round on November 19, raising concerns about the health and safety of contestants. The events surrounding Miss Finland have intensified the spotlight on the standards of conduct and values upheld by national pageant titleholders and the international Miss Universe Organisation.