RAISSA SANTANA WINS MISS BRAZIL 2016

Santana is only the second black woman to win the title

By plus55 on Oct 02, 2016

On Saturday, the final of the Miss Brazil 2016 pageant took place. Raissa Santana, from the Southern state of Paraná, won the title. She becomes only the second black woman in 61 years win the title.

This year’s edition of the Miss Brazil pageant had a record number of black candidates: six out of 27 contestants. Not exactly a high number, considering that 54 percent of the Brazilian population consider themselves black or multiracial. Still, it could be a sign that the standards in Brazil are finally becoming more in tune with what the majority of the population looks like.

Since the pageant was first created, 61 years ago, only one back woman had been awarded the title of “Brazil’s most beautiful” before Raissa Santana. It happened in 1986 when Deise Nunes won the Miss Brazil pageant.

Beauty pageants are widely regarded as sexist contests that objectify women, judging them only on their looks. The very notion of lining women up and making them compete against one another seems like an anachronism. Nevertheless, it is positive the beauty of people of African descent is being valued.

http://plus55.com/culture/2016/10/miss-brazil-2016-raissa-santana