A mother that won the Mrs Russia beauty pageant has been mercilessly mocked after a photo taken of her during the contest pictured her from an unfavourable angle – leading organisers to respond. Images of Natalya Oskar, from Khabarovsk, who won the contest on Tuesday (June 6), became an object of vitriol as Instagram users, many of them from Ukraine, ridiculed her looks. Some made derisive remarks about her short stature, full lips and heavy makeup, while others suggested she had too much plastic surgery.
Organisers of the Mrs Russia beauty pageant, which is designed for the mothers and wives of Russia, have been forced to defend their 34-year-old winner.
“She looks really beautiful in our official photos,” Ms Kirsanova told the Podyem media outlet.
“I was quite taken aback by the public reaction. It was a bad photo, taken from a bad, low angle. She’s very different. Everyone in the jury saw her and loved her.”
Social media users had implied that, based on the new photo of her at the contest, Ms Oskar’s Instagram feed was full of digitally-doctored images.
Mrs Oskar teaches English and lives in Russia’s Far East with her husband, young daughter, and a dog.
The Mrs Russia winner told the Star Hit tabloid on Wednesday she did not care about the online bullying and denied claims that she had resorted to plastic surgery.
“I know that I worked hard for the competition,” she said. “You spend the whole day in heels, snatch a few hours of sleep and then spend morning till night in rehearsals.”
The Mrs Russia competition, where contestants have to be married and have children, became more inclusive this year to welcome shorter women and plus-size models.
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Previously, only women taller than 175cm (5.7ft) and those of clothes size S and XS were allowed to compete.
“We’ve decided to ditch those requirements this year and accept the women in the shape they are,” said Irina Kirsanova, the pageant’s organiser.
“This is not a modelling competition after all but a competition of married women and mothers.”
This year 83 women entered, with Mrs Oskar winning the prize after singing a song ‘I’m Your Mrs. Russia’.
