Miss Mexico Andrea Meza was crowned as the 69th Miss Universe after the competition marked its return on television after 2 years.
The first runner up was Brazil's Julia Gama while Peru's Janick Maceta became the second runner-up. India's Adline Castelino and Dominican Republic's Kimberly Perez became third runner-up and fourth runner-up respectively.
The 69th edition of the Miss Universe pageant was supposed to be held in 2020 but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The finale of the pageant was held on May 16, in the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Hotel or famously known as the Guitar hotel in Florida. It was aired live and saw participants from all around the world.
26-year-old Meza was crowned by her predecessor Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa, who won the pageant in 2019.
The new Miss Universe is Mexico!!!! #MISSUNIVERSE pic.twitter.com/Mmb6l7tK8I
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) May 17, 2021Advertisement
During the question and answer round, the question asked to Andrea was "If you were the leader of your country, how would you have handled COVID with the COVID-19 pandemic?"
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To which she answered, "I believe there's not a perfect way to handle this harsh situation such as COVID-19. However, I believe that what I would have done was create the lockdown, even before everything was that big because we lost so many lives. And we cannot afford it, we have to take care of our people. That's why I would have taken care of them since the beginning."
Former Miss Universe contestants Cheslie Kryst, Paulina Vega and Demi-Leigh Tebow (who won the title in 2017) served as competition analysts and commentators, and a panel of eight women determined the winner.
A tearful Meza cat-walked tearfully in her sparkling red dress with the crown above her head, waving at the audience after she was declared as the winner. Meza beat more than 70 contestants from around the globe in the 69th instalment of Miss Universe, which was held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
The pageant has drawn a lot of criticism in the past for allegedly objectifying the contestants. However, in recent years, the competition has shifted image, focusing more on female empowerment and activism.
