Miss Universe Pakistan reflects on gender bias, pageant struggles

In an interview with Adnan Faisal, the 2023 Miss Universe Pakistan Erica Robin shared that she believes gender bias still prevails in society. Addressing the words "Stop gender bias" in her Instagram bio, she said, "This is something that's been happening in not just Pakistan but everywhere. Opportunities aren't distributed equally."

However, Robin still has hope for both the present and the future. "Yes, opportunities were much lower in the past. It is getting better, but we're still not there," she said. "There are certain male-dominated fields, which I believe need more female representation. But those opportunities are not given out equally. So, yes. Change is coming but slowly."

Robin credited social media as an aid for women in these trying times. "Back then, we didn't have a platform to raise our voices, so I think it was easier to suppress them. But now, everyone has a voice, everyone has a platform. So, if you post your views online, people are willing to listen," she said.

Amplifying the positives

Owing to her optimistic outlook, the model believes that the situation in Pakistan isn't as bleak as it is portrayed on the news. She added that mob mentality is an issue that persists everywhere, not just locally. "Pakistan is highlighted more in these negative instances. This all happens abroad as well, though it is not talked about as much."

Citing an example, she shared that her phone once got stolen when she was not in Pakistan. "I think news channels tend to show Pakistan's soft image less and highlight the negative image more," she said, adding that the public wants to see the positive side as well.

Not immune to negativity

Robin admitted that she tends to stay away from news channels. "Every time I watch the news, I get anxious and depressed, so I stay away. That, of course, isn't a good thing; one shouldn't stay ignorant to the world's issues. But I stay connected through social media."

Although she endorses social media in an ever-progressing world, the beauty pageant titleholder has seen its negative side, too. "I'm comfortable wearing a lot of different things, and I've always shown that on Instagram. But when I embarked on the Miss Universe journey, I changed my dressing to cater to my growing audience since I was representing Pakistan on an international level."

Robin believes she earned the public's appreciation then because her old posts got buried under the new ones. "However, when all that ended and I went back to posting as I usually did, that caused an uproar. People kept saying, 'What is this? Why are you wearing that?' And all I had to say was, 'I've always been like this.'

"Obviously, I wasn't representing myself at the pageant. No one called me 'Miss Erica'. I was 'Miss Pakistan,' so I represented myself as such," she defended.

After the pageant was over, however, Robin wasn't reluctant to return to her home country. "I was fine because I was being very careful about this," she said. "I had already faced a lot of backlash before even attending the competition."

She recalled a 2023 article from the BBC, which used the word 'shameful' to shed light on Robin's struggles in representing her country as a model on an international level. But she persevered through the vitriol and committed to speaking about Pakistan in a positive light at the competition to show what she stood up for.

"I knew I had nothing to fear after returning to Pakistan," she said. "Because if I was praising Pakistan and representing it well on this scale after 71 years, why would anyone have an issue?"