Miss France may have been crowned the winner in the Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines last month, but Miss Canada Siera Bearchell won the hearts of thousands for calling out online body shamers.
The outspoken, 23-year-old law student from Moose Jaw, Sask. placed in the top nine at the show where women from 85 countries competed, which was impressive by itself, but she really turned heads when she took to social media to preach self-love.
In a number of posts on her Instagram account, Bearchell took down her critics by writing about the importance of self-worth.
Bearchell explained to CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Friday that she has received relentless comments from online trolls body shaming about her weight and her appearance on her social media accounts for years. She said she even attracted hateful comments last summer when she was in great shape and won the Miss Universe Canada pageant, right after running her first marathon.
鈥淚 was fit. I was active and even then people were calling me fat, overweight, lazy,鈥� Bearchell recalled. 鈥淪o when I got to Miss Universe, those comments only escalated.鈥�
Bearchell said she had enough when she noticed young women online expressing concern about their own looks after she was targeted.
鈥淚 had to say something for the girls who follow me and who maybe see me as an inspiration,鈥� Bearchell said. 鈥淥ur young women need a voice because we live in a society that profits off of our insecurities.鈥�
Last week, at the Miss Universe competition beside another image someone had doctored to make her appear heavier with a lengthy message to her followers.
鈥淲e need to uplift the women in our lives rather than belittle them for their appearance,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淲e need to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness that we all exhibit. There is beauty beyond size. There is beauty beyond walking on stage in a bikini. There is beauty beyond looking a particular way.鈥�
, Bearchell questioned why critics believe it鈥檚 okay to belittle a stranger online when they wouldn鈥檛 treat their family and friends in the same manner.
鈥淲hen we think about the people we love, we think about their character, their humour, their intelligence, their wit, their generosity, their kindness and humility,鈥� Bearchell said. 鈥淲e don't define our friends and family solely on their appearance.鈥�
Bearchell said the response to her comments has been 鈥渋ncredible鈥� and that she has received emails and messages every single day from women around the world thanking her for her words.
鈥淸They] tell me that I鈥檝e helped them change how they view themselves, I have changed their lives because they can now find beauty within themselves,鈥� she said.
The determined young woman said the online trolls still write mean comments about her, but now that she鈥檚 changed her outlook, they don鈥檛 bother her as much as before.
鈥淚f anything, it adds fuel to my fire to keep speaking on behalf of young women who maybe don鈥檛 necessarily have a voice,鈥� Bearchell said. 鈥淚f this kind of stuff is still going on, there are still things that need to be said.鈥�
