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Multiracial.
Somewhere down the line, we keep forgetting that we all are mixed races and look for said “purity” in our colours, names, nationalities. And this idea of “pure” is tearing all of us apart, affecting lives and denying people to live in humble pride of their origins.
On Monday, Priyanka Yoshikawa a half Indian and half Japanese young woman, broke all the barriers by becoming Miss Japan (World) who’ll be representing the country on the global platform.
The 22-year-old, born to an Indian father and Japanese mother, is proud of both her heritages and rightfully is as Japanese as anyone else in her country.
“We are Japanese. Yes, I’m half Indian and people are asking me about my ‘purity’ – yes, my dad is Indian and I’m proud of it, I’m proud that I have Indian in me. But that does not mean I’m not Japanese.”
Her inspiration is Ariana Miyamoto, last year’s Miss Japan (Universe), who was the first black woman to represent Japan. A lot of Japanese folk were rebuked by her victory and tweeted their disgruntlement, they seem unhappy about a “haafu”(Japanese for half) to represent them.
“Before Ariana, haafu girls couldn’t represent Japan. That’s what I thought too. I didn’t doubt it or challenge it until this day. Ariana encouraged me a lot by showing me and showing all mixed girls the way.”
She shared her struggles living and surviving in Japan, feeling like she belongs nowhere.
“We have problems, we’ve been struggling and it hurts. When I came back to Japan, everyone thought I was a germ, Like if they touched me they would be touching something bad. But I’m thankful because that made me really strong.”
Yoshikawa is an avid kick-boxer, whose politician great-grandfather once welcomed Mahatma Gandhi for a two-week stay at their home in Kolkata and herself is a holder of an elephant trainer license.
She dreams of making a difference by making life easier for other multiracial kids in Japan who as of now constitute only 2% of the total population.
“As Miss Japan, hopefully I can help change perceptions so that it can be the same here too. The number of people with mixed race is only going to increase, so people have to accept it.”
Way to go woman! Make your mark! 🙂
Source : The Times Of India
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