Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu of India has revealed that she's not bothered by hate comments anymore as she held her final question-and-answer forum for fans around the globe.
On Jan. 4, Harnaaz went live on Facebook to answer questions about her reign, overcoming hate comments, and lessons learned in pageantry.
Asked how she overcame all the hate comments, Harnaaz commented: "Oh my God. Is there any hate? I'm sorry there is no hate in my dictionary. But trust me guys it's been 10 months. If I didn't give anything to you guys on my Instagram. I mean I never addressed the hate, it means guys you don't really bother me. It's something guys you have to understand: this is me. I'm beautiful. And I'm gonna own it whether I look different, whether I don't look beautiful according to you, trust me that doesn't matter. I'm here for myself and you can't define who I am."
Harnaaz also revealed the biggest lesson she learned during her reign.
"The biggest learning I've learned during my reign is don't really listen to people. In the end listen to your heart. In the end when you look back, you gotta feel happy and satisfied for what you have become now. So you have to let it go. You have to believe and you have to be consistent. These are the things that I've learned from my reign 'til now," she said.
In August, Harnaaz admitted that issues involving her weight made her sad.
But she said that her mindset has shifted as she learned to accept that "it's okay to cry" and "feel sad."
Harnaaz told People Magazine that she's hoping her story will inspire others to take back control of their body image and embrace self-love.
"We all are imperfect. We need to realize that there's a point where we understand that we need to embrace our flaws and when you do that, you can conquer anything in this world," she added.
WATCH HER LAST Q&A AS MISS UNIVERSE: https://fb.watch/hRkQux0IQk/
Harnaaz, 22, also said that she enjoyed her visit to Colombia, her final trip abroad as Miss Universe. “I love Colombia. It was actually a short trip, I was there for a few days. But truly, I love Colombian food and I enjoyed working with Smile Train. For me being there on World Smile Day, I was really happy to do that in a beautiful country like Colombia.”
The Indian beauty queen will crown her successor in New Orleans, Louisiana on Jan. 14 (Jan. 15, Manila time).