Karolina Shiino, excited, was crowned Miss Japan at the end of last January. “It was a dream,” she told reporters, in impeccable Japanese. A dream, and a brief one, because the young woman has been stripped of her crown as the most beautiful woman in the country.
The election of the young woman as the new Miss Japan caused a real debate at the national level, since Shiino was not born in Japan, but in Ukraine. She has lived in the Japanese country since she was five years old after her mother’s second marriage; many considered that she was not worthy of the crown. However, that was not the reason for the cessation of her reign, but rather an event in her personal life.
Shiino has been forced to renounce her title as Miss Japan after the magazine Shukan Bunshun revealed that she was having an affair with a married doctor and influencer, whose last name is only known to be “Maeda.” A revelation that fell like a bucket of cold water on Japanese society, which is very strict on moral issues, especially with public figures.
In response to what was published by the tabloid media, the organizers of the contest defended Shiino, claiming that the model did not know that the man was married at the time. However, days later, the organization was forced to rectify, sharing that Karolina herself had confessed to having knowledge about the man’s marriage and family.
Shiino then renounced her crown, in addition to apologizing for having lied to the organization, according to the Miss Japan Association. The model also wanted to apologize to her followers through a statement she issued last Monday, ensuring that her fear had taken over after the publication of the news.
“We would like to express our most sincere apologies to Mr. Maeda’s wife, family and other related parties for the inconvenience this has caused,” the model begins, insisting that “confusion and fear” made it impossible for her to reveal the truth from the beginning.
“I am sorry to convey something that is not true to everyone who believed in me and supported me. I take this situation seriously and have rejected the Miss Japan Grand Prix,” he announces, in addition to sharing that he also requested the termination of the contract with his agency and was accepted.
The election of Karolina Shiino was marked by controversy from the beginning. Despite having lived in the Japanese city of Nagoya since she was five years old and being a Japanese citizen, many did not accept that she was chosen to represent the country in the beauty contest.
On social networks, the alleged “discrimination” against “the Japanese faces” of the rest of the candidates was even criticized. Others, for their part, pointed out that her election could represent the necessary change that the country, marked by its traditional, conservative and discriminatory society with respect to women and everything that is not Japanese, needs.
The organizers of the contest were clear: Shiino’s election could be seen as an opportunity. “We have to rethink what Japanese beauty is. After today’s results, beauty in Japan does not only exist in appearance or in blood; but also in our hearts.”
