Miss Botswana Lesego Chombo asks public to ‘be kinder’ after Miss World controversy

Miss Botswana Lesego Chombo has appealed to the public to “be kinder” after Miss World 2013 Megan Young received mixed reactions for fixing her hair during the coronation night.

In a Facebook post, Lesego said, “I appreciate that you are all looking out for me, but it really doesn’t make me feel good when you bring other people down in my name or for my sake.”

“Please be kinder, please,” she continued, sending love to the crowned Miss World queen, Krystyna Pyszková, and to Megan.

Megan has already apologized, saying she wanted to offer a helping hand “but I failed to oversee the bigger picture."

“It was a thoughtless and disrespectful act, and I take full responsibility for it,” she added.

In Black culture, it is offensive for people to touch their hair as it draws painful memory harking back to slavery. 

Meanwhile, the Philippines’ representative in the pageant, Gwendolyne Fourniol, made an early exit in the Miss World pageant after failing to secure a spot in the Top 40.

— Carby Basina/LA, GMA Integrated News