The 72nd Miss Universe was hosted Nov. 18 in the Central American country of El Salvador. The crown came down to the final two, Miss Nicaragua and Miss Thailand. Despite all odds, Miss Nicaragua, Sheynnis Palacios, became the first Miss Universe originating from Nicaragua and the second from Central America. Her victory marks the hope, new ideas, and movements taking place in Central America. The mere fact that this event took place in El Salvador, a country that has been disregarded and stigmatized by the Western world, emphasizes the shifting image of this region. 

Despite the whispers of change among the people of Central America, the reaction of Nicaraguan officials to Palacios’ accomplishment highlights the enormous amount of work that has to be done. Nicaragua is currently under the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega. Since his election in 2006, he has taken steps to control all aspects of government. According to Chatham House, Ortega has amended the constitution to allow his limitless reelection, persecuted and annihilated independent media, exiled thousands, and has politicized much of the armed forces. In 2018, a proposed increase in social security taxes pushed citizens over the edge and resulted in protests, during which Ortega’s armed forces killed 322 citizens and incarcerated more than 500. Palacios herself displayed her participation and experience in protests against Ortega on social media. 

Knowing all this, it came as no surprise that Ortega’s government was not pleased with her participation in Miss Universe as Nicaragua’s representative. Their disdain culminated in the barring of her entrance back into Nicaragua. According to Artículo 66, on Nov. 17 Ortega ordered Avianca Airlines to not let Palacios board her Nov. 19 flight from El Salvador to Nicaragua. However, on Nov. 18 before the pageant, this order was lifted and immigration officers erased any trace of it from Avianca Airlines. Undeterred by this, the people of Nicaragua rejoiced in the crowning of Palacios as Miss Universe. She serves as a symbol of perseverance and strength for the public in the face of Ortega’s dictatorship. Palacios represents the Nicarguans who have been and are being oppressed. This renewed hope has further fueled Ortega’s need to keep opposition under wraps. His control has permeated all aspects of the country, including those of art and self-expression. Artists Kevin Laguna Guevara and Oscar Danilo Parrilla Blandón spoke out on TikTok about how government authorities intervened with a mural dedicated to Palacios. They had begun the mural on a private property but were told to halt work because it was deemed as a “political message.” The artwork has now been painted over. This is just one example of the censorship occurring in Nicaragua currently. 

Seeing as pageantry and Central America are at the center of these events, the world has brushed it off. Pageants have been classified as a frivolous activity solely based around beauty and women. Although pageants do have a focus on appearance, they are also heavily influenced by philanthropy and community work. I think it is detrimental to stereotype these women as less than, when the majority are highly-educated individuals and community leaders, like Palacios. If we are truly striving for modernity, inclusivity, and representation, it is extremely hypocritical to cast aside these women and their contributions because of the attention they grant their appearances. This stereotyping continues the cycle of sexism and denies women their rightful places as complex individuals who can simultaneously enjoy intellectual and aesthetic pursuits. As previously stated, Palacios is not only a beauty queen but a Central American activist and community leader — but that is cast aside because she chose to pursue a career in pageantry. 

The other reason this has been ignored is because of the region it is affecting. Central America has been depicted as the dangerous “backyard” of the United States. This was done simultaneously as the U.S. meddled in the region’s politics and funded the killing of thousands. This intervention created the perfect stomping grounds for corruption and crime to flourish. Over and over again, Central America has been stigmatized as impoverished, crime-ridden, and full of uneducated citizens, the most recent notable case being former President Donald Trump dubbing El Salvador a “shithole” in 2018. The region has been deemed of little value by the U.S., so therefore Western media and citizens do not bother to delve into its events. 

Many Obies pride themselves on fighting for human rights, yet ignoring major injustices, like a dictatorship censoring and attempting to exile its Miss Universe, only contributes to the continuation of this oppression. The people of this region have been oppressed and taken advantage of for centuries by corrupt governments aided by the U.S., and we continue to play our part by choosing not to educate ourselves. Due to the instability of the area, my own parents and countless others immigrated to the U.S. in the ’80s, yet all of this remains largely unknown by the public. People still do not know of the horrors, like the massacre at El Mozote, that were fueled by the U.S. and their continuous devastating effects to this day. Of course, it is not surprising that the U.S. continues to shrug off accountability for the situations they create, but that does not mean we as a society get to forget the severe impacts they have on underprivileged communities. How does a dictatorship attempting to violate their Miss Universe’s rights go unnoticed by Western society? 

We cannot keep turning a blind eye to situations because we are uncomfortable with them or we are not educated enough. This is the day-to-day reality for millions of people. The least we can do is acknowledge what factors contributed to the situation and see what actions we can take, no matter how small, to stop enabling these injustices. It is time we start truly taking everyone into account, whether it be beauty queens or an entire region: there is value within them that should not be written off.