19 stone beauty queen gives inspiring anti-discrimination speech

Beauty pageants were once a closed community of relatively thin, white girls. Now, the world appears to be opening up with hijab-wearing women and plus-sized models taking the crown.

24-year-old Estefania Correa is the latest model to break the mold. Weighing 19 stone, she was crowned Queen of Vendimia in an Argentinian pageant.

Her winning speech inspired the crowd with Estefania reminding others that traditional beauty is not the be all and end all: “There’s more to life than having a beautiful face and body. I wanted to break discrimination, [to show] that Vendimia was not a beauty contest, that it went further.”

The coordinator of the competition, Carolina Cocuzza, praised Estefania for her words, adding that they were proud to showcase a real woman and that the choice had “impacted a lot and generated a reaction of spontaneous support.”

Estefania’s win comes at a time when the definitions of beauty seem to be changing. We’ve had plus-sized model Ashley Graham on the cover of Vogue, black models taking over the Victoria’s Secret show and plenty of young women speaking out on the discrimination they’ve faced by the fashion and beauty industries.

Let’s hope we’ll soon wake up to the day where all sizes and races are given equal standing.

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