Somehow, in the year 2018, beauty pageants still exist.
It remains a confounding fact that women are paraded around on stage and judged for their bodies and their brief answers to very broad and stupid questions by a panel of random judges.
But still… they do exist.
And a rather major beauty pageant was held on Sunday night.
So… who took home the crown of Miss Universe 2018?
Name other than Miss Philippines, Catriona Gray!
The new and beautiful champion beat out 93 other hopefuls in a star-studded competition, including runner-up Miss South Africa Tamaryn Green and the second runner-up, Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutiérrez.
The victory caused Gray to break into tears.
The theme of the 67th Miss Universe pageant was "Empowered Women" and it was judged by seven women including former pageant winners, businesswomen and a fashion designer.
It also included the first-ever transgender contestant.
But the 24-year-old Gray – who was born in Australia and studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts – simply would not be denied her moment to shine.
Even though Miss USA actually tried to steal she spotlight a few days earler…
… but acting like a spoiled American snob.
Late last week, Sarah Rose Summers came under fire for making comments about two non-English speaking contestants during one of the show’s rehearsals.
Joined by Miss Australia and Miss Colombia in an Instagram video filmed on the preliminary night of competition, Summers spoke openly about Miss Vietnam, H’Hen Nie, and Miss Cambodia, Rern Sinat, and their struggles with English.
As you can see below, she mocked their ignorance:
After the video went viral, Miss USA issued the following statement:
@MissUniverse is an opportunity for women from around the world to learn about each other’s cultures, life experiences, and views. We all come from different backgrounds and can grow alongside one another.
In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realize can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologize.
My life, friendships, and career revolve around me being a compassionate and empathetic woman. I would never intend to hurt another.
I am grateful for opportunities to speak with Nat, Miss Cambodia, and H’Hen, Miss Vietnam, directly about this experience. These are the moments that matter most to me.
Beauty pageants are dumb and sexist.
But that doesn’t mean Gray didn’t deserve to win this one.
CONGRATULATIONS!