Miss Universe Canada 2020 Nova Stevens has revealed that some Filipinos have bullied her on social media by criticizing her skin color.
Among the criticisms were "burnt chicken," "she is toasted and burned," "I'm not judging, but I'm really scared of her for real, like she is not human."
On Instagram, she promoted spreading love.
"Here we go again. I’ve been receiving this picture in my inbox a lot lately," she started.
"With all that has been going on in the world ‘black lives matter’ ‘Asians are human’ you would think this would bring us together. Instead, looks like some people are still stuck in their ignorant and racist ideologies."
The beauty queen admitted she's "really disappointed" with some pageant fans from some countries.
"Your hate takes away the fun and enjoyment from this once in a lifetime experience. Is it really that difficult to spread love instead of hate? No one is saying you HAVE to support all contestants, all we’re saying is that you support your delegate without bringing others down. You don’t need to dim someone’s light in order for you to shine," she said.
"The world is evolving, people are realizing that beauty is not exclusive to one specific group of people. The definition of beauty applies to all; because beauty can be seen in different shapes, shades and sizes. Please see the beauty that is in this world. We don’t need to look the same, we just need to treat each other the same."
She edited her post, saying she's not generalizing.
"Hi everyone, thank you for the kind comments and messages. Please know that I am ok. This post is not a generalization, which is why I said “some”. Also, I was not sure of the language these comments are from until reading some comments," she said.
"In case it’s not clear. I don’t think all Filipinos are racist. That would be ridiculous to say. This picture with texts was constantly being sent to me recently which is why I shared it. I’m well aware that there are multiple countries that think this way. I’m sharing this as a teaching moment so that we can make Pageants fun and enjoyable for all."
She noted how all the girls competing have worked hard for their moment and deserve to have the best experience.
"Cheer for your girls with love and respect for the other delegates because they too are deserving of the ‘Miss Universe’ crown. Spread love not hate (heart emoji)."