Miss Myanmar Ma Thuzar Wint Li, also known as Candy Thuzar, won the Best National Costume at the 69th Miss Universe Competition in Hollywood, Florida on Monday.
Days before the finals, Thuzar revealed that she wasn’t able to wear her original national costume after her suitcase with outfits did not reach Florida for the competition.
This was reported by nytimes.com in an article entitled “Miss Universe Myanmar arrives in Florida with a message for the junta” written by Richard C. Maddock on May 14.
A portion of the New York Times online article read:
“As the week wore on, the bag still hadn’t arrived, but the pageant organizers were helping her with her gown, and other contestants were lending her outfits.
“Her national costume was among the missing items. People from Myanmar who live in the United States provided her with a stunning replacement of ethnic Chin origin. She wore it on Thursday to the applause of many in the crowd,” according to the article.
After using the 69th Miss Universe Competition as her platform to protest the military coup in her country, Thuzar is reportedly clueless as to where she will go after the competition because she was told she cannot return to Myanmar anymore.
“Soon after landing in Florida, she posted an autobiographical video on Facebook that would be unusual for any beauty pageant contestant: It shows her wearing formal gowns mixed with scenes of people fleeing tear gas and a soldier shooting a man who rode by on a motorbike,” the article said.
“Myanmar deserves democracy,” she says in the video. “We will keep fighting, and I also hope that international communities will give us help that we desperately need.”Thuzar Wint Lwin is an English student at the University of East Yangon and also a has a diploma in tourism and hospitality management from Star University in Myanmar.Outside of school, Thuzar works as a professional model and beauty blogger. She enjoys helping other women with style because it helps build confidence.
Thuzar recently underwent lumpectomy surgery to to remove tumors from her breast. As a survivor, she works with local breast cancer awareness foundations to support patients and bring awareness to the cause. Thuzar believes that no matter how much struggle you face in life, perseverance and hope are the keys to overcome any obstacles.