Archive · 17 Dec 2025
Miss Finland Dethroned Over Racism Allegations
Miss Finland 2023, Sarah Dzafce, got into big trouble for a photo where she pulled the corners of her eyes and wrote a caption that people thought was making fun of Chinese people.
Many people, especially in Asia, were very upset.
Sarah said she didn't mean to be racist and apologized, but the organizers of the Miss Finland pageant took away her crown.
Even after that, some politicians in Finland made the same gesture to support her, which made the situation even worse.
The prime minister and other leaders said this behavior was not okay.
Sarah Dzafce, Miss Finland 2023, faced allegations of racism over a photo with a gesture and caption mocking East Asian features.
The photo and caption sparked international outrage, particularly in China, Japan, and South Korea.
Dzafce denied racist intent, claiming the gesture was due to a headache and the caption was added by a friend without her consent.
Despite her apologies, the Miss Finland organization revoked her title and awarded it to the runner-up, Tara Lehtonen.
Finnish politicians' support for Dzafce, including mimicking the gesture, escalated the controversy and drew criticism from the prime minister and other leaders.
- Who
- Sarah Dzafce, Miss Finland 2023, and Finnish politicians
- What
- Controversy over a racist gesture and caption, leading to Dzafce's dethronement
- When
- Late November 2023, with the dethronement confirmed in December 2023
- Where
- Finland and international social media
- Why
- The gesture and caption were widely perceived as racist, causing international outrage
- Miss Finland 2023
- Sarah Dzafce
- Controversial Gesture
- Pulling the corners of her eyes outward
- Caption
- kiinalaisenkaa syömäs (eating with a Chinese)
- Apology Language
- Finnish, English, Mandarin
- New Miss Finland
- Tara Lehtonen
- Politicians Involved
- Juho Eerola, Kaisa Garedew, Sebastian Tynkkynen
- Prime Minister's Statement
- Called the gesture 'thoughtless and stupid'
- Pageant's Response
- Revoked Dzafce's title and apologized
