Priyanka Yoshikawa

Identity has been one of the biggest puzzles that anyone would ever figure out. There is always some sort of barricade blocking an individual from figuring out their self-hood, or sometimes, it’s the other way around and it's hard to accept this identity. And this was something Priyanka Yoshikawa faced, a sense of self-doubt.

Low self-acceptance makes you wilt both internally and externally

Yoshikawa is half-Indian and half-Japanese, which is considered to be an “halfu” in Japan. Japan is a closed country when it comes to community, so fitting in was quite difficult for Yoshikawa. Her classmates back in the day would treat her like a virus and wash their hands if they touched her. She was left out and misjudged in most situations, and that’s when she lost her self-confidence. She was tired of being concerned about what other people thought of her and ended up enduring all those comments without a word.

Say no to haters

It wasn’t until her late-teen years when Priyanka understood the importance of being herself. She was so desperate of acting like someone she wasn’t that she ultimately forgot that she was already the perfect definition of her. She realized that she needed to celebrate her background and uniqueness, in spite of what everyone thought of her. And when she was scouted to compete for Miss World Japan, there were still a bunch of naysayers that discouraged her from competing, bringing into the idea of “halfu.” But it never stopped her because she knew how proud she was of herself, and eventually she claimed the title of Miss World Japan 2016.

Credits: Priyanka Yoshikawa: Define yourself | Priyanka Yoshikawa | TEDxKyoto | TED Talk

Image credits: Miss Japan speaks Bengali, listens to Hindi music and loves Bollywood films | Fashion Trends - Hindustan Times