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Deals of the Week 5:05AMWednesday, November 12th, 2025 In the know quiz Set your local weather Breaking News Courts & Law Courts & Law Courts & Law Courts & Law South Australia Western Australia Northern Territory Breaking News North America US Politics South America Middle East UK Politics Health Problems Mental Health Inspiration Weight Loss School Life Restaurants & Bars Food Warnings Relationships The Sealed Section Family & Friends Fashion Shows Fashion Trends Face & Body Cosmetic Surgery True Stories Lifestyle Videos Travel Ideas Short Breaks Food & Drinks Destinations North America New Zealand Middle East Central America South America Travel Advice Tips & Tricks Accommodation Australian Holidays Northern Territory South Australia Western Australia Travel Videos Entertainment Celebrity Life Hook Ups & Break ups Celebrity Photos Celebrity Kids Celebrity Deaths Celebrity Style What To Watch Morning Shows Current Affairs Upcoming Movies Movies Reviews Music Festivals Books & Magazines Golden Globes Entertainment Videos Social Media Mobile Phones Home Entertainment Archaeology Environment Climate Change Sustainability Natural Wonders Motoring News On the Road Technology Videos Cost of Living How to Save Salary Secrets Personal Finance Superannuation Australian Culture Power & Influence Inside Parliament Gig Economy Breaking News Manufacturing Other Industries Australian Economy World Economy Interest Rates Federal Budget Australian Markets World Markets Australian Dollar Cryptocurrency Real Estate Sydney & NSW Melbourne & VIC Adelaide & SA Cricket Live Scores V8 Supercars Sports Life American Sports Paralympics Horse Racing Expert Opinion More Sports Sport Videos Sales & Deals Home & Appliances Health & Wellbeing ‘Not Aussie’: Why your comments about Miss Australia are racist Social media critics say Miss Universe contestant Lexie Brant doesn’t “look Aussie enough”, exposing a disturbing trend in Australia. Eleanor Wicklund November 12, 2025 - 2:57PM Listen to this article Copied URL to clipboard Miss Universe storms out of pageant Miss Universe winner Victoria Theilvig stormed out of this year's event after the pageant president reprimanded Miss Mexico in front of... Lexie Brant is representing Australia in the Miss Universe competition, but to many online critics, she’s “not Australian enough”. It’s a bizarre sentiment – and one of many I noticed beneath a TikTok clip of Brant walking on stage at the pageant. At 22, the Queensland model is white, brunette and has hazel eyes. Yet, some of the estimated 500 million global viewers didn’t think she represented Australia “well enough”. Copied URL to clipboard Miss Australia at the Miss Universe pageant Aussie model, Lexie Brant, 22, walks out on the stage of The Universe... “She does not look Aussie,” one user commented. “I’m very confused! Surely we have actual Australian women that could have participated!” another person wrote. “She doesn’t look Australian,” a third chimed in, while someone else claimed she wasn’t “a real Australian”. One commenter even suggested she should have “walked out for Miss Mexico” despite Brant only ever mentioning her Brisbane roots. “I thought Australian women looked different,” another viewer wrote. Miss Universe Australia, Lexi Brant, has been called ‘not Australian enough’. Picture: Instagram/Canva So, what does an Australian woman look like? Great question, glad you asked. An Australian woman looks like the Taiwanese waitress at your favourite restaurant, the Indian nurse who cared for your grandmother, the Italian woman in your spin class, the Zimbabwean newsreader on TV and your indigenous colleague in the break room. She could just as easily be the Irish Uber driver, the Nepalese lawyer, your child’s Maltese art teacher or your dog’s Fijian vet. Brant walking on stage at the pageant in Thailand. Picture: Instagram/MissUniverseAustralia For international audiences, the image of a “typical Australian woman” might be shaped by people like Jennifer Hawkins, with blonde hair and blue eyes, or by Lara Bingle on the beach. It’s easy to see, to a point, how countries get condensed into stereotypes. But for local Australians posting these comments, there’s no excuse for the narrow-mindedness. More than half of the people in Australia were either born overseas or have at least one parent who was. Over one in five people speak a language other than English at home. Australians share more than 270 ancestries. Multiculturalism – alongside Australia’s First Nations heritage – is the backbone of this country. We are a melting pot of ethnicities. People took to social media to ask if she was even ‘Australian’. Picture: Instagram/MissUniverseAustralia As a third-generation Greek Cypriot Australian, these comments felt personal. I’m not saying I look like a Miss Universe contestant (a girl can dream), but I saw myself in Brant’s tanned skin, brunette hair and hazel eyes. To some, I might not fit the “typical Aussie” image, and I remember primary school moments of feeling like an “other” … being teased for having darker hair on my arms and between my brows, as if that somehow made me “less than”. That’s a minor slight compared to the racism faced by people of colour or first-generation migrants. Me, a third-generation Greek Cypriot Australian. Picture: News.com.au What this recent conversation tells us is that racism is still alive and well in Australia. There’s still confusion, or ignorance, over the difference between ethnicity and nationality. In the Miss Universe arena, Australia has been represented by Francesca Hung (Chinese Australian father, Irish Australian mother) in 2018, Priya Serrao (born in India, migrated to Australia) in 2019, and Maria Thattil (whose parents are Indian immigrants) in 2020. Each faced a barrage of racist comments during their time as Miss Australia. Outside of pageantry, Australia has seen a disturbing resurgence of racism and white nationalism in recent years. During Covid, there was a huge increase in racist incidents against people of Chinese and Asian origin. The Voice Referendum brought mainstream racism towards First Nation people. Politicians like Bob Katter have publicly rejected their own multicultural heritage when confronted. And don’t forget the recent anti-immigration rallies. There’s also been disturbing reports of racist abuse of people of colour in schools and in hospitals. On social media, language advocating for “taking back” Australia is rife. Racism and white-supremacy is alive and well in Australia. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images White supremacists want Australia to reflect colonial foundations, not the diverse, modern country we are today. They seem to forget that First Nations people have been on this continent for 80,000 years and that migrants also played a crucial role in building modern Australia. More Coverage Brutal response to worker’s kind gesture Lauren Robinson Anger as Aussie ‘world first’ launches in UK Rebekah Scanlan Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, recently said that racism in this country is as strong as ever. And if a white woman with a tan can be branded as “not Australian enough,” it shows just how true that is, and how much work we still have to do. Continue the conversation. @el_katelaris Join the conversation (0 Comments) Add your comment to this story To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Join the conversation, you are commenting as More related stories ‘Leave now’: Hamish Blake stuns reporters Hamish Blake left reporters stunned after he answered a question he wasn’t expecting during a press conference outside Myer in Melbourne. Aussie teacher arrested after fleeing US An Aussie piano teacher who taught the children of Hollywood celebrities has been arrested on home soil after fleeing the US. ‘Don’t like this’: Kmart unveils huge change Aussie shoppers are up in arms after noticing an odd change at Kmart. Registration In The Know Quiz Newsletters Competitions Welcome to news.com.au Code of Conduct Help and Support General Feedback Advertise with us Standards of Practice Licensing & Reprints Our News Network The Daily Telegraph The Courier Mail Our Partners realestate.com.au CODE Sports A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out.Sometimes our articles will try to help you find the right product at the right price. 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