Miss Finland has been accused of racism for turning her eyes on the photo – and MPs did it, too
Listen to this article
Average 4 minutes
The audio version of this article was created by AI-based technology. It can be mispronounced. We are working with our partners to continuously review and improve the results.
Finland’s government is facing heavy pressure and accusations of racism from several Asian countries after its representative in the 2025 Miss Universe pageant was seen pulling the corners of her photo – and other Finnish politicians posted their own photos repeating the gesture.
Sarah Dzafce lost her Miss Finland crown last week after a photo of her pulling skin from the corners of her eyes posted on social media went viral late last month.
The photo, with its caption “eating with China,” has been criticized by governments and commentators across Finland and Asia as anti-Asian.
Dzafce, who won Miss Finland in September, told Finnish media that she was trying to relieve a headache. The Helsinki Times reported that she said her friend shared a private photo and captioned it without her input. Dzafce did not respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment Thursday.
Dzafce sent an apology on social media on December 8 and said it was not his intention to hurt anyone.
“The title of Miss Finland is not only a crown for me, but also a responsibility. The responsibility of how I speak, how I behave, and how my actions can affect people,” she wrote in Finnish.
He added: “I take responsibility for my actions and I will learn from this.”
Distant politicians send their photos
Days later, the Miss Finland Association revoked her title as Miss Finland 2025 – known as Miss Suomi in Finnish.
“The events of recent days have caused great pain, disappointment and anxiety in Finland and other countries – understandably,” the organization wrote on social media. “We are deeply sorry for the damage these incidents have caused. Especially to the Asian community, but also to everyone affected. Racism is unacceptable in any form.”
The controversy erupted when several Finnish politicians gathered around Dzafce after he lost his crown. Members of parliament who are part of the ruling party have posted their own photos of themselves pulling skin from their eyes.
Fátima Bosch Fernández was crowned Miss Universe 2025 on Friday in Bangkok. It was a stunning victory for Bosch, 25, in a competition marred by controversy and chaos.
Outrage has spread across Asia, prompting Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to apologize to several countries, including Japan and South Korea, in statements written in their languages sent to Finnish embassy social media accounts.
“This post does not reflect Finnish standards of equality and inclusion,” Orpo’s statement said.
“Racism and discrimination have no place in Finnish society. Our message to Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the Government takes racism seriously and is committed to fighting this issue. Finland always aims to do better. Politicians have a responsibility to set an example in this regard.”
Some say that you should boycott Finland
The Japanese government contacted the Finnish embassy in Tokyo to express its concerns.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, a senior government spokesman, said Japan hoped to maintain contact with Helsinki.
“I understand that the Prime Minister of Finland has issued a statement expressing deep apology for the recent defamatory posts made by some members of parliament on social media,” said Kihara. “As the Japanese government, we have conveyed through the local embassy our concerns about this case and our expectation to receive a proper response.”
Finland is a major tourist destination for tourists from Asia, and some users on X have called for a boycott of Finland and Finnair, the country’s largest airline.
Päivyt Tallqvist, the airline’s senior vice president of communications, told Finnish broadcaster Yle that the scandal had hurt the company’s international operations, without giving details.
