Bi-racial beauty queen Ariana Miyamoto should be spending this week celebrating her new title as Miss Universe Japan, but instead she has been using her energy to fight off nasty comments.
The 20-year-old contestant, who was born and raised in Japan, is the daughter of a Japanese woman and an African-American man, or as they would say in Japan, a "hafu" -- meaning half-Japanese. Many critics are complaining that Miyamoto doesn't look Japanese enough to represent their country and some have taken to social media to express their dismay.
Japanese websites Byokan Sunday and Naver Matome have rounded up some of the mean remarks, which include things like, "Is it okay to select a hafu to represent Japan?" or "Because this is Miss Universe Japan, don't you think hafu are a no-no?"
The former Miss Nagasaki will represent Japan in the 2015 Miss Universe pageant and while the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, thankfully Miyamoto also has some supporters. Fans of the young contestant include filmmaker and co-director of the film "Hafu," Megumi Nishikura, who told NBC News: "The selection of Ariana Miyamoto as this year's Miss Universe Japan is a huge step forward in expanding the definition of what it means to be Japanese." We couldn't agree more.