Chinese People Are Calling the Only Chinese-American Woman in Miss America 2016 Ugly

Chinese netizens are criticizing the looks of Miss Michigan, the only Chinese-American woman to compete in Miss America.

Arianna Quan, 23, is the newly crowned Miss Michigan who will be competing in this year’s upcoming Miss America contest in September. She will be the only Chinese-American woman to take part in the annual pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Born in Beijing, Quan moved to the U.S. when she was six and became a naturalized citizen at 14 years old. She is studying transportation design at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies and hopes to inspire more women to go into the automotive industry.

Quan, who is bilingual in Chinese and English, has built her platform on immigration and citizen education. She speaks out about her multicultural experience and the challenges she faced learning how to embrace her heritage.

Quan said:

“All throughout my life [being Asian-American has] been something that’s been a little bit uncomfortable for me to talk about.

“During this election year I realized how important it was for immigrants and naturalized citizens to speak out about their experiences in this country. We are so diverse. It’s so important for us to embrace that. That’s why my platform is what it is. Hopefully going to Miss America now during this election year I can raise awareness about what it means to be an American.”

The 23-year-old is also an ambassador for Rock The Vote and wants to encourage young people to register to vote in this year’s election. The Miss America contest judges contenders based on their performances, interviews and talents among other things. Quan’s talent is classical piano.

However, Chinese netizens have been quick to criticize the young woman. One person wrote:

“She’s ugly AND she isn’t Chinese.”

Another person said:

“She’s 23?! Why does she look like she’s 43?”

h/t: Shanghaiist

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