'Beauty beyond size': Miss Universe Canada calls out body shamers

Miss Universe Canada is trying to promote self-love after she received criticisms about her appearance from body shamers online.

Miss France may have been crowned the winner in the Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines last month, but Miss Canada Siera Bearchell won the hearts of thousands for calling out online body shamers.

The outspoken, 23-year-old law student from Moose Jaw, Sask. placed in the top nine at the show where women from 85 countries competed, which was impressive by itself, but she really turned heads when she took to social media to preach self-love.

In a number of posts on her Instagram account, Bearchell took down her critics by writing about the importance of self-worth.

Bearchell explained to CTV’s Your Morning on Friday that she has received relentless comments from online trolls body shaming about her weight and her appearance on her social media accounts for years. She said she even attracted hateful comments last summer when she was in great shape and won the Miss Universe Canada pageant, right after running her first marathon.

“I was fit. I was active and even then people were calling me fat, overweight, lazy,” Bearchell recalled. “So when I got to Miss Universe, those comments only escalated.”

Bearchell said she had enough when she noticed young women online expressing concern about their own looks after she was targeted.

“I had to say something for the girls who follow me and who maybe see me as an inspiration,” Bearchell said. “Our young women need a voice because we live in a society that profits off of our insecurities.”

Last week, Bearchell posted a photo of herself at the Miss Universe competition beside another image someone had doctored to make her appear heavier with a lengthy message to her followers.

“We need to uplift the women in our lives rather than belittle them for their appearance,” she wrote. “We need to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness that we all exhibit. There is beauty beyond size. There is beauty beyond walking on stage in a bikini. There is beauty beyond looking a particular way.”

In another post, Bearchell questioned why critics believe it’s okay to belittle a stranger online when they wouldn’t treat their family and friends in the same manner.

“When we think about the people we love, we think about their character, their humour, their intelligence, their wit, their generosity, their kindness and humility,” Bearchell said. “We don't define our friends and family solely on their appearance.”

Bearchell said the response to her comments has been “incredible” and that she has received emails and messages every single day from women around the world thanking her for her words.

“[They] tell me that I’ve helped them change how they view themselves, I have changed their lives because they can now find beauty within themselves,” she said.

The determined young woman said the online trolls still write mean comments about her, but now that she’s changed her outlook, they don’t bother her as much as before.

“If anything, it adds fuel to my fire to keep speaking on behalf of young women who maybe don’t necessarily have a voice,” Bearchell said. “If this kind of stuff is still going on, there are still things that need to be said.”