Miss Universe contestant Jane Dipika Garrett responded to criticism over her weight after she made history as the first plus size woman to compete in the pageant.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Garrett, who was Miss Nepal in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant, spoke about the “cruel” comments she has received.
“I see things like, ‘Oh, she’s a whale,’ or ‘That’s disgusting. I’m going to vomit,'” she shared.
Garrett, 22, also said she has received comments accusing her of “promoting obesity.”
“‘Why don’t you go to the gym?’ And things like that. And it’s like they don’t even know my story,” she explained, adding “They don’t even know what I’m going through.”
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Garrett revealed she has polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) a condition that causes the ovaries to produce excess hormones, according to Cleveland Clinic. The hormonal imbalance results in obesity, excess hair growth, acne, and infertility.
She shared:
“So it’s very easy for us to gain weight. Even if we just look at a piece of cake, we can gain weight. [The haters are] just judging me from social media. And that’s their problem.”
However, Garrett assured she doesn’t let the judgment bother her.
“Society can be very cruel. People can be very cruel sometimes,” she added.
Despite the negativity, Garrett reminisced about the praise she received from the audience while she was on stage.
“I really did not expect to get that much applause on the stage or that much spotlight. And I wasn’t expecting anything,” she said.
Furthermore, Garrett stated she was “just there to represent my country and to represent women all over the world. And that was my goal.”
She continued, “I came with a humble heart… but when I won on that stage, I got the loudest applause from the whole entire audience. And that felt so good because it was like a breakthrough moment for me and for society that they see something different, that they see real size beauty.”
