After she is accused of mocking fellow Miss Universe contestants for not speaking English, Sarah Rose Summers says she's sorry and that she 'would never intend to hurt another.'
- Dec 14, 2018
AceShowbiz - Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers has landed in hot water after she appeared to mock two of her fellow Miss Universe contestants for not speaking English. During an Instagram Live session on Miss Colombia Valeria Morales' account, she talked about Miss Vietnam H'Hen Nie and Miss Cambodia Rern Sinat's poor English.
Sandwiched between Valeria and Miss Australia Francesca Hung, she said of H'Hen, "She's so cute, and she pretends to know so much English." She went on imitating the Asian pageant queen, saying, "And then you ask her a question after having a whole conversation with her, and she goes [smiles and nods]." She added, "She's adorable," before imitating H'Hen by nodding and smiling again.
Not stopping there, Sarah later took aim at Miss Cambodia. "Miss Cambodia is here and doesn't speak any English," she said. "Not a single person here speaks her language. Can you imagine? Francesca said that it would be very isolating, and I think yes and just confusing all the time." She added, "Poor Cambodia."
After the video went viral, many expressed their disappointment at the Miss Nebraska USA 2018. "Miss USA, do you speak any other language than your native tongue English? How is that different from Ms. Vietnam and Ms.Cambodia only speaking their own language," one commenter wrote. Calling for Sarah's disqualification, the said user added, "Shame on the other two ladies who are agreeing with her. I hope they get disqualified soon."
Another comment posted on the fashion Instagram account Diet Prada read, "Regina George, is that you? This is basically what normalized xenophobia looks like. If she's trying to show empathy, the condescending, intolerant tone tells a different story. A reminder that you're participating in a competition in a country/continent where English is NOT the primary language."
Some others pointed out the irony of Sarah's Instagram profile in which she wrote, "#ifyoudon’thaveanythingnicetosaydontsayanythingatall."
After the video went viral, Sarah quickly took to her own social media account to explain her comments. "@MissUniverse is an opportunity for women from around the world to learn about each other's cultures, life experiences, and views. We all come from different backgrounds and can grow alongside one another," she wrote.
Denying that she mocked Miss Vietnam and Miss Thailand, she said that her comments were wrongly perceived, but still apologized for it. She continued, "In a moment where I intended to admire the courage of a few of my sisters, I said something that I now realize can be perceived as not respectful, and I apologize. My life, friendships, and career revolve around me being a compassionate and empathetic woman. I would never intend to hurt another."
She additionally claimed that she had cleared things out with Miss Vietnam and Miss Thailand, saying, "I am grateful for opportunities to speak with Nat, Miss Cambodia, and H'Hen, Miss Vietnam, directly about this experience. These are the moments that matter most to me."
Sarah's mother Desiree also denied that her daughter was racist. She told TMZ, "She in no way meant any harm. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body." As for imitating Miss Vietnam, Desiree said, "[Summers] was just recreating how Miss Vietnam acts when she doesn't understand what someone is saying. She wasn't trying to mock her."
While many have accepted Sarah's apology and believed that she didn't mean to mock Miss Vietnam and Miss Thailand, some others don't take her excuse. "Did you see how rude she was on her live video? With that facial expressions while she was saying all those words?" one offended user commented. Another insisted, "she was clearly making fun of them. Go watch the video again."
