How Miss Universe Vietnam sparked a national conversation on colourism

I don’t really believe in beauty pageants. But, I do believe in the power of representation, and how it can be used to combat colourism - the prejudice or discrimination that is held against individuals with dark skin tones.

H’Hen Nie representing Vietnam in Miss Universe in 2019 was groundbreaking in many different ways. First, she was the first woman from an ethnic Vietnamese minority to do so. Second, she made it into the top five of the Miss Universe competition, the highest rank any Vietnamese has achieved. Third, she defied tropes of “traditional” Vietnamese beauty standards, particularly those rooted in colourism.

Nie was an unlikely idol for Vietnam. In a country that values long black hair and light complexions, she is relatively dark-skinned and has a pixie-like bob. Like in many other societies, Vietnamese culture has historically associated light skin with wealth and status, whilst dark skin is stigmatised for its association with labour and poverty. Nie, unapologetic in how she looks, is a breath of fresh air. It’s wild to think that skin tone, an ordinary characteristic biological to all of us, could be so trailblazing and yet, Nie has been able to challenge conventional beauty standards held by Asian cultural norms and Miss Universe traditions alike.

- Isabella