The Miss Universe Zimbabwe Competition was held for the first time in 22 years on Saturday, and Brooke Bruk-Jackson clinched the coveted crown.
However, the big win for the 21-year-old Zimbabwe native and model has been met with mixed reactions online because she is a white woman representing the African nation.
Critics say the young woman won the competition because she is white and that a Black contestant should have been selected to represent the country, where most of the population is Black.
“All those beautiful melanted women, and you telling me the European woman won a contest for Black people!!??,” said one user on Twitter.
“If you understand the world, you’ll understand how the system runs! That’s not MY PICK, that’s not MY MISS ZIMBABWE. Leave me the fawk alone with the stupid s**t. IDGAF,” said another.
“I’m not supporting this at all and I’m not here to argue with any mf black people should learn to love and respect themselves stop sending a white girl to represent Zimbabwe 🇿🇼,” said Natasja Sibanda on Instagram. “[W]e are not white isn’t enough seeing them whites coming from their continent have you ever seen Germany, India Thailand or China sending Black girls to represent them stop being fools…” Sibanda continued.
Others defended Bruk-Jackson’s victory. They argue that her triumph is well-deserved, pointing to her exceptional ability to answer questions and her modeling prowess as reasons for her win.
“Brooke deserved to win; she worked hard for that crown, and her walk was so graceful. Her answer was powerful, short, and precise. Well deserved. Congrats to her,” said one user, according to local news outlet The Zimbabwean.
On Facebook, under posts of the winner’s announcement, others also chimed in to support her.
“She’s absolutely gorgeous. If she’s Zimbabwean-born, then she qualifies. Everything else is rato drama. Let her enjoy her limelight moment. Would you like someone taking away something from you at a funeral in public? Or at your wedding, they repossess your car? Don’t make her opportune moment turn into a chance for you to make it difficult for her to rejoice,” Brian Ngoni Muzabazi commented.
“Wait. So — to keep skin color in the judging (disqualification) equation & equal across continents, cuz many are saying, “She’s white, not a BLACK African, not Zimbabwean, so not worthy of the title,” — we should then exclude based on skin color (black) here in the US? #slipperyslope #Zimbabwe,” said Frank Price Jr.
Bruk-Jackson will go on to represent the southern African country on the world stage during the upcoming Miss Universe pageant this November in El Salvador.
