DEMI-LEIGH NEL-PETERS , SOUTH AFRICA WON MISS UNIVERSE 2017

DEMI-LEIGH NEL-PETERS , SOUTH AFRICA 

WON MISS UNIVERSE 2017

(LAS VEGAS) — Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, who represented South Africa, won the Miss Universe crown Sunday.

The 22-year-old, who wants to use her reign to champion HIV/AIDS and self-defense causes, was crowned at The AXIS theater at Planet Hollywood casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

“HIV/AIDS is a very big problem in my country South Africa, so I hope to stand as an advocate for that,” she said before reporters after the event.

Along with the title, Nel-Peters earned a yearlong salary, a luxury apartment in New York City for the duration of her reign and more prizes. She is the second woman from her home country to earn the crown.

The runner-up was Miss Colombia Laura Gonzalez, while the second runner-up was Miss Jamaica Davina Bennett.

Ninety-two women from around the world participated in the decades-old competition. This year’s edition had the most contestants ever, including the first representatives in its history of Cambodia, Laos and Nepal.

When asked to name the most important issue women face in the workplace, Nel-Peters said the lack of equal pay.

“In some places, women get paid 75 percent of what men earn for doing the same job, working the same hours, and I do not believe that is right,” said Nel-Peters, who recently earned a business management degree. “I think we should have equal work for equal pay for women all over the world.”

Nel-Peters is from the South African coastal community of Sedgefield in the Western Cape province. She helped develop a program to train women in self-defense in various situations after she was robbed at gunpoint a month after she was crowned Miss South Africa.

The subject of sexual harassment against women, which has dominated headlines in the U.S. over the past two months, was raised during the pageant. In response to a question, Jamaica’s Bennett said no form of abuse, including sexual harassment, should be tolerated, and any instances of sexual harassment should be brought to authorities.

In the U.S., dozens of politicians, Hollywood executives and actors, and media personalities are facing accusations of sexual misconduct, sparked by a wave of allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

After the show, Nel-Peters said women can empower each other to standup against any abuse.

“You feel so empowered because you are on a stage with 91 other women that are strong, that are independent, that have worked really hard,” she said. “They are all winners; they are winners of their own countries, and to me, that was so empowering. That just showed me that if women take hands and stand together, we are unbreakable and we can say no to the things that are wrong in the workplace, at home or wherever you might go.”


Steve Harvey returned as the show’s host despite botching the 2015 Miss Universe crowning. On Sunday, he poked fun at his mistake throughout the night. Three days after people in the U.S. celebrated Thanksgiving, Harvey told the audience he is “grateful for the Oscars,” referring to the best-picture flub at this year’s Academy Awards.

Grammy-Award winner Fergie performed her new song “A Little Work” while the contestants walked down the stage wearing evening gowns. This year’s judges included YouTube star Lele Pons, former judge of “America’s Next Top Model” Jay Manuel and Wendy Fitzwilliam, the 1998 Miss Universe winner from Trinidad and Tobago.

President Donald Trump offended Hispanics when he made anti-immigrant remarks in announcing his bid for the White House in 2015. At the time, he co-owned The Miss Universe Organization with NBCUniversal, but the network and the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision quickly cut ties with him, refusing to air the show. Trump sued both networks, eventually settling and selling off the entire pageant to talent management company WME/IMG.

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (born 28 June 1995) is a South African model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2017. She previously was crowned Miss South Africa 2017, and is the second Miss Universe winner fro

Early and personal life[edit source]
Nel-Peters was born on 28 June 1995 in Sedgefield, Western Cape to Bennie Peters and Anne-Marie Steenkamp.[1] Her half-sister, Franje, has a physical disability, and Nel-Peters says that she is the most significant motivator in her life.[2][3] She received a degree in business management from North-West University,[4][5] and is fluent in both English and Afrikaans.[4]

Pageantry[edit source]
Miss South Africa 2017[edit source]
Nel-Peters began her pageantry career while competing in the Miss South Africa 2017 competition. Representing Western Cape, Nel-Peters was declared the winner of the competition.[6] As Miss South Africa, Nel-Peters was given the right to represent South Africa in both Miss World 2017 and Miss Universe 2017, but due to the dates of the pageants coinciding, she was sent to solely Miss Universe, held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Miss Universe 2017[edit source]
In the final round Steve Harvey asked Nel-Peters "What quality in yourself are you most proud of and how will you apply that quality to your time as Miss Universe?" , she said:

As Miss Universe you have to be confident in who you are as an individual. And Miss Universe is a woman that has overcome many fears and by that she is able to help other women to overcome their fears. She is a woman that nothing is ever too much to ask for and I think that is exactly who I am."[7]

Following her crowning as Miss South Africa, Nel-Peters was considered a favorite for the Miss Universe crown[8].[9] When asked about what she thought was the most important issue regarding women at the workplace, she said:

In some places, women get paid 75% of what men earn for doing the same job, working the same hours — and I do not believe that this is right. I think we should have equal work for equal pay for women all over the world.[10]

She went on to win the competition and was crowned Miss Universe 2017 by outgoing titleholder Iris Mittenaere.[11][12][13] Nel-Peters is the second titleholder from South Africa, and the first since Margaret Gardiner won Miss Universe 1978.[14][15][16]

Nel-Peters said during a segment at Miss Universe that she wants to use her self-defence workshops to help as many women as she can.[3][17] This stems from an incident a month after being crowned Miss South Africa when she was carjacked at Hyde Park, she handed over her car keys but was forced into her car by the carjackers.[18][19] She punched one of her attackers in the throat and managed to run away and get help.[18][20][21]