epa12507117 Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce presents on stage during the Miss Universe 2025 official welcome event in Bangkok, Thailand, 05 November 2025. Women representing 120 nations will compete in the 74th edition of the Miss Universe beauty contest for the crown, held in Thailand on 21 November 2025. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT
Miss Finland’s representative at the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand has lost her crown after a viral photo triggered accusations of racism across East Asia.
Sarah Dzafce, 22, posted an image in which she appeared to pull the corners of her eyes, captioned “eating with a Chinese” — a gesture widely seen as offensive to East Asians. The post drew strong backlash in China, Japan, and South Korea, and criticism soon extended to Finland itself.
Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo condemned the gesture as thoughtless and damaging to the country’s image. Dzafce later claimed the photo was misunderstood and said the caption had been added by a friend without her consent. She apologised publicly, saying she never intended to offend anyone.
The controversy deepened when two Finnish lawmakers posted similar images in support of Dzafce, prompting further outrage. Their posts were later deleted, and the prime minister criticised their actions as inappropriate.
Finnair acknowledged the backlash had affected the airline, while Finland’s embassy in Japan confirmed it had received numerous inquiries about racism in the country.
The Miss Finland Organisation said stripping Dzafce of her title was a difficult but necessary decision, stressing that racism is unacceptable in any form.
