Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu became the 70th Miss Universe on 12 Dec, 2021, beating contestants from 80 countries.

She was crowned at the end of the event by the 69th Miss Universe, Andrea Meza. Harnaaz is the third beauty from India to win the Miss Universe crown in the last three decades. In 2000, Lara Dutta was crowned Miss Universe and in 1994, Sushmita Sen.

Beauty pageants have tall, slim, and beautiful women competing for titles, and they all are expected to look a certain way. They are considered desirable by women and men across the world. Hence, Sandhu’s weight gain after the event left netizens shocked.

Harnaaz told People magazine:"Physically I have kind of grown, got more pounds and increased my weight, which I am totally comfortable about right now. I was bullied for gaining weight."

Harnaaz also discussed the reason behind her sudden weight gain was celiac disease. After she won the pageant, she revealed: "I was really focused towards my goal (during the competition) and I was [not] thinking about my health.” “The whole time we were working out, doing so man

“The whole time we were working out, doing many activities, just after winning, & I had almost a month just to relax. During that time, I actually didn't work out, I was just eating & just enjoying that time with my family. I never realised that it would start showing on my body

She wants people to accept their bodies and allow them to go through changes. In this video, she says that she was bullied as a child for being too skinny. And now when she has gained weight, she is trolled on social media for the opposite.

Sandhu was interviewed on ‘The Daily Show’ with Trevor Noah. She spoke about her weight gain and how she didn’t let that define her. She believes that how you treat people is more important than how you look, and people will remember you for acts of kindness and not just looks.

Research suggests that 20% to 40% of women are dissatisfied with their bodies. Body dissatisfaction is also reported in men, with 10% to 30% confessing to it. Among male adolescents, 69% are dissatisfied with their bodies in terms of their weight.

Sandhu understands the value she can add to young lives. She didn’t want to look timid after her weight gain and make young children feel bad about their bodies. She promotes body positivity and is working towards menstrual equity.