Miss Universe Canada turns into Miss Cultural Appropriation after Indigenous costume

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Miss Universe Canada turns into Miss Cultural Appropriation after Indigenous costume uproar


Miss Universe Canada is scrambling to rewrite its costume rules after two contestants walked the stage in Indigenous-inspired outfits that left former titleholder Ashley Callingbull asking the question, who approved this?

Callingbull, the first First Nations woman to win Miss Universe Canada, interrupted Saturday night’s finals to criticize the pageant for allowing what she called “cultural appropriation” during its national costume competition.



The latest fallout includes apologies from both contestants, a public mea culpa from pageant director Sonny Borrelli and plans for a “comprehensive costume guide.” Organizers have also asked Callingbull to serve as a cultural liaison for next year’s competition.


In other words, the pageant has gone from evening gowns and swimsuits to launching its own Department of Costume Compliance.

Callingbull, a member of Alberta’s Enoch Cree Nation, said she was stunned when Karisa Haverkamp appeared wearing a large multicolored feathered headdress and a red handprint painted on her cheek.

The red hand is associated with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement, a serious campaign drawing attention to violence and disappearances involving Indigenous women. Haverkamp apparently intended her costume as a show of solidarity—but intention and permission are not necessarily the same thing when sacred regalia is involved.

A second contestant, Jasleen Kaily, wore an Arctic-themed fur-and-fringe outfit resembling Inuit clothing, complete with a large maple leaf.

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