Who is Mary Wollstonecraft? The feminist icon who inspired Nicaragua's winning answer in Miss Universe 2023

Miss Universe 2023 Sheynnis Palacios of Nicaragua drew loud cheers with her answer in the final Question & Answer portion of the pageant held in El Salvador.

Sheynnis, along with fellow Top 3 candidates Thailand's Anntonia Porsild and Australia's Moraya Wilson, were asked: "If you could live one year in another woman's shoes, who would you choose and why?" 

The Latina beauty queen answered: "I will choose Mary Wollstonecraft because she opened the gap and they gave an opportunity to many women. What I would do, I would want that gap, that income gap, would open up so that women could work in any area that they chose to work in because there's no limitation for women. That was 1750. Now in 2023, we're making history."

Now, who is Mary Wollstonecraft?

She was an English writer and a renowned women's rights activist. As a champion of women's rights, Wollstonecraft authored A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, a 1792 feminist classic that is considered the earliest and most important treatise advocating equality for women.

In her book, she argued that women are not naturally inferior to males, but simply appear to be because they lack education. She proposes that men and women be treated as rational beings and imagines a society founded on reason.

She is widely regarded as a feminist icon. Her advocacy of women's equality and critiques of conventional femininity have been significant in the development of feminism. Her daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, wrote the seminal science fiction novel "Frankenstein."

Thailand's Anntonia, meanwhile, answered: "I would choose Malala Yousafzai because I know the struggles that she had to deal with in order to get to where she is today. She had to fight for women's education and fight for all women to be able to stand strong and be the change and lead by example. If I could choose anyone that would be her. Thank you."

Like Wollstonecraft, Malala is also a feminist icon who focused on women's right to education.

Finally, Australian beauty queen Moraya chose her mother.

"I would live my mother's year in her birth year, because she's a very strong woman. She's tough. She taught me how to work hard. She taught me how to be brave how to be strong. I'm forever grateful for those lessons this year."

The 73rd Miss Universe pageant was held at the José Adolfo Pineda Arena in San Salvador, El Salvador. 

Philippine bet Michelle Dee finished in the Top 10.

—Jade Veronique Yap/MGP/BM, GMA Integrated News