A viral social media photo sparked racism allegations against Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce, triggering international backlash across Asia. Days of controversy, political reaction, and public outrage later, pageant organisers revoked her crown.
Image Source: Instagram
It was supposed to be a quiet dinner photo. Instead it became a global controversy that cost a beauty queen Sarah Dzafce her crown, pulled politicians into a storm and left Finland doing damage control on the world stage. What began as a single social media post quickly turned into a lesson on how one image, one caption, and one moment of poor judgment can travel far beyond borders.
Here is how the Miss Finland racism row unfolded, and why it refuses to fade away.
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Sarah Dzafce, Finland’s representative at last month’s Miss Universe pageant in Thailand, found herself at the center of a racism firestorm after a photo of her went viral in late November. In the image, the 22-year-old is seen pulling the corners of her eyes outward. This gesture is widely seen as mocking East Asian features.
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What made matters worse was the caption. Written in Finnish, it read “kiinalaisenkaa syömäs”. It translates to “eating with a Chinese.”
The combination of the gesture and the words sparked immediate outrage especially across East Asia. Social media users in China, Japan, South Korea condemned the image as racist and disrespectful.
The backlash grew so intense that it even spilled over to Finland’s national airline Finnair. It faced criticism online simply because of its association with the country.
The controversy soon reached Finland’s political leadership. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo did not mince words. He called the gesture “thoughtless and stupid” and said the episode was “damaging” to Finland’s reputation.
Sarah Dzafce responded by denying any racist intent. According to Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat, she claimed the gesture was her reaction to a headache and pressure around her eyes during dinner. She also said she did not write the caption herself insisting that a friend added it without her consent.
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Dzafce later posted an apology on Instagram, written in Finnish. In it, she said the photo had caused “ill will” and stressed that disrespect was never her intention.
“One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds, and differences,” she wrote, adding that she would learn from the incident and grow.
But the apology failed to calm the storm.
Many social media users questioned the sincerity of Dzafce’s apology. Some pointed out that it was written only in Finnish, not in English or Chinese, even though the people most offended were outside Finland.
Comments under her post were brutal. “Very disappointing,” one user wrote. Another mocked it as a “PR answer.”
Some netizens openly demanded that she return the Miss Finland title.
At first, Miss Suomi, the organisation behind the Miss Finland pageant, said there were no plans to strip Dzafce of her crown. But behind the scenes, discussions were ongoing.
On Thursday, the organisers confirmed what many had been calling for: Sarah Dzafce was officially dethroned, three months after winning the title. In a statement, the pageant said it does not accept any form of racism or discriminatory behavior and apologized for the incident.
Miss Suomi CEO Sunneva Sjögren later confirmed that the decision came after days of internal deliberations.
The Miss Finland title was then passed on to Tara Lehtonen, who had finished second in the competition. Even so, the anger surrounding the controversy did not disappear.
At a press briefing held in Finnish, Dzafce apologised again, this time more directly. She said she was sorry to those who were insulted or hurt, especially the Asian community.
Video clips later shared by Xinhua showed her saying “Sorry, China” in Mandarin and “I am very sorry” in English.
Just when the story seemed to be settling, it took another shocking turn.
Finns Party MPs Juho Eerola and Kaisa Garedew, along with Member of the European Parliament Sebastian Tynkkynen, posted photos of themselves mimicking the same slanted-eye gesture. They said they were showing support for Dzafce.
The reaction was swift and furious. The posts were eventually deleted, and Eerola issued an apology, arguing that Dzafce had faced “disproportionately harsh punishment.”
But the damage was already done.
Prime Minister Orpo condemned the lawmakers’ actions as “childish,” saying elected officials must set an example of proper conduct.
Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz went even further, calling the posts “irresponsible, childish and stupid,” and adding that it was obvious the gesture would offend people.
Criticism also came from within Orpo’s own National Coalition Party. Deputy chair Pia Kauma warned that when MPs behave in ways that appear racist, it can quickly spread and cause greater harm.
“This needs to be stopped right at the start,” she said.
According to Finnish media, the Finns Party is now considering whether disciplinary action should be taken against the MPs involved. The issue is also expected to be discussed at a meeting of governing party leaders.
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