Skip to Content

Nina Davuluri, Miss America 2014, became the first Indian-American winner of the coveted tiara Sunday night, and the racist reactions quickly followed.

The Hollywood Gossip Logo

During the question part of the pageant, the 24-year-old was asked by Carla Hall about Julie Chen’s plastic surgery to make her eyes less Asian.

"I don’t agree with plastic surgery, however I can understand that from a standpoint … I’ve always viewed Miss America as the girl next door," she said.

"Miss America is always evolving… I wouldn’t want to change someone’s looks. Be confident in who you are," Nina Davuluri added, and went on to win.

She praised the pageant for celebrating diversity, but right after the tiara was placed atop her head, a deluge of racist tweets began to flood the Internet.

"If you’re #Miss America you should have to be American," said one.

"WHEN WILL A WHITE WOMAN WIN #MISSAMERICA? Ever??!!" screamed another, seemingly unaware that Mallory Hagan was the reigning winner.

 

Nina Davuluri is American, of course, and just happens to be of Indian descent. The winner of Miss New York hails from the Upstate city of Syracuse.

No matter.

The Hollywood Gossip Logo

"Well they just picked a Muslim for Miss America. Must’ve made Obama happy. Maybe he had a vote," vented another very intelligent Twitter user.

She’s not Muslim, and he doesn’t.

Davuluri competed on a platform of "Celebrating Diversity through Cultural Competency," and for the talent portion, performed a Bollywood Indian dance.

But people weren’t focused on that – or even the tabloid report that she called Hagan fat as f–k in a secretly recorded conversation earlier this year.

It was all about her ethnicity. Keep it classy, Twitter.

"Miss America? You mean Miss 7-11," tweeted user Jalin Leatherman, perpetuating the tired stereotype about Indians and convenience stores.

Davuluri’s father, also American, is a physician.

Nina is now applying to medical school as well.

But no matter. USA pride was in full swing last night as some pageant viewers even linked the beauty queen to the September 11 attacks. Really.

"Miss America right now or miss Al Qaeda?" tweeted Shannon McCann.

"9/11 was 4 days ago and she gets miss America?" added Luke Brasili.

HISTORICAL NOTE: None of the airline hijackers on September 11, 2001 were of Indian descent, nor is every non-white person a terrorist. Just FYI.