Racial Insensitivity: Miss Finland's Controversial Photo Ignites Global Outrage

Wed Dec 17 2025 16:44:31 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A photo posted by Miss Finland, Sarah Dzafce, escalated into a significant international backlash over perceived racial insensitivity, leading to her dethronement and widespread condemnation.

Miss Finland, Sarah Dzafce, has faced severe criticism and was dethroned after sharing a controversial photo where she pulls at her eyes, captioned 'eating with a Chinese'. The image, seen as a racist gesture towards East Asians, triggered reactions from various nations and raised concerns about racism in Finland. Dzafce has apologized, but her response has been deemed insufficient by many. The Finnish government also acknowledged the ongoing challenges against racism in society as discussions intensify over the incident.

Finland's delegate to last month's Miss Universe pageant held in Thailand has sparked a racism firestorm over a viral photo that showed her pulling the corners of her eyes.

Sarah Dzafce, who has been dethroned, uploaded the photo with the caption 'eating with a Chinese'. The slanted-eyes pose is often seen as disrespectful to East Asians.

The post drew backlash in Japan, South Korea, and China against the 22-year-old and even against her country's flag carrier, Finnair.

Back home in Finland, the prime minister said on Monday making such gestures was 'thoughtless and stupid' and that the controversy that ensued was 'damaging' to the country.

Ms. Dzafce claimed the gesture was her reaction to a headache during dinner. She said a friend added the offensive caption to the 11 December post without her consent, according to local tabloid Ilta-Sanomat.

Ms. Dzafce has apologized for the photo, noting it has 'caused ill will in many people'.

'That was not my intention in any way... One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences,' she wrote on an Instagram post.

The apology still drew criticism, with some calling it 'insincere' given it was written in Finnish.

Two right-wing MPs in Finland, Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, posted photos of themselves mimicking Ms. Dzafce's gesture to show their support for the beauty queen. The posts were taken down after backlash, and Eerola apologized, adding he felt Ms. Dzafce was given 'disproportionately harsh punishment'.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo condemned the MPs' actions as 'childish', adding that lawmakers should set an example of proper conduct.

The controversy affected Finnair negatively, prompting calls for a boycott of Finland.

A petition launched by a Japanese man living in Finland, calling for an investigation into anti-Asian discrimination, had gathered more than 7,000 signatures.

The debacle underscores the challenges faced in combating racism, not just locally in Finland but globally, as various communities rallied against the insensitivity exhibited in Dzafce's actions.

Ultimately, the Miss Finland Organisation declared the dethronement as a necessary step, reiterating the importance of respect for all backgrounds.