Wikipedia

Ariana Miyamoto

The native form of thispersonal nameisMiyamoto Eriana Mamiko.This article usesWestern name orderwhen mentioning individuals.

Ariana Mamiko Miyamoto(Cung bổn ・エリアナ・ ma mỹ tử,Miyamoto Eriana Mamiko,born 12 May 1994)is a Japanese model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crownedMiss Universe Japan 2015.She represented Japan at theMiss Universe 2015pageant and placed in the Top 10. In 2015 she became the firsthāfuor multiracial woman to be Miss Japan.[3][4]

Ariana Miyamoto
Cung bổn エリアナ
Born
Ariana Mamiko Miyamoto

(1994-05-12)12 May 1994(age 30)
Sasebo,Nagasaki,Japan[1]
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[2]
Spouse
Unknown
​
​
(m.2017;div.2022)​
Children2
Beauty pageanttitleholder
TitleMiss Universe Japan 2015
Hair colorBlack
Eye colorBrown
Major
competition(s)		Miss Universe Japan 2015
(Winner)
Miss Universe 2015
(Top 10)

Early life

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Miyamoto was born to a Japanese mother andAfrican Americanfather, Bryant Stanfield, who was stationed at theUnited States Navyfacility inSasebo.[5]Miyamoto's parents divorced when she was one year old.[6]She attended elementary school in Japan and, at age 13, immigrated to theUnited Statesto live with her father inJacksonville, Arkansas,where she attendedJacksonville High Schoolfor two years. Upon return to her native Japan, she did not immediately complete high school, but worked odd jobs, including as a bartender.[7][8][9][10]

In 2015, Miyamoto won the title of Miss Nagasaki and represented herprefectureat theMiss Universe Japancontest.[11][12]

Career

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Miss Universe Japan 2015

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On 12 March 2015, Miyamoto was crowned as Miss Universe Japan 2015 (Miss Japan 2015) atHotel Chinzanso TokyoinBunkyō-ku, while Miss Oita and Miss Chiba were runner-ups. As Miss Japan 2015, she represented Japan atMiss Universe 2015and made it to Top 10.[13][14][15][16]

Miss Universe 2015

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As Miss Japan 2015, Miyamoto competed at theMiss Universe 2015pageant where she made it to the Top 10.[17][18][19]Before Miyamoto's placement, Japan last placed in the top 15 seven years prior in 2008 withHiroko Mima.[20]

Personal life

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On December 1, 2017, Miyamoto married her husband, who is fromHong Kong,and later announced her first pregnancy.[19]On December 26, 2020, she posted a video onYouTubeindicating she was nine months pregnant with her second child.[21]On April 29, 2021, she posted an update on the birth of her second child on YouTube, saying she had given birth to her second son.[22]The couple divorced in 2022.[23]

In August 2017, Miyamoto was appointed the honorary ambassador oftourismfor the city ofSaseboinNagasaki Prefecture,her hometown, and the city that hosts theUS Naval baseher father was stationed in.[24][25]

Discrimination

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See also:Ethnic issues in Japan

Miyamoto recalled, "Whenever the teacher told us to hold hands, other children thought my black skin would rub off on them, so they said, 'Don't touch me'".[11]Some of her classmates in Sasebo, Nagasaki would say things like, "Don't swim in the same pool 'cause your skin will rub off on me."[26]Miyamoto was shunned due to her skin color and wavy hair while she grew up in Japan.[27]Parents and classmates used the termkurombo(a racist expression) to refer to her.[27]She also recalls people throwing garbage at her in school.[16]One of Miyamoto's friends, a fellowhāfu,committed suicide after sharing his experiences of social exclusion with her.[28]

After her victory, she encountered some people disapproving of her win, mostly in the form of onlinesocial media.This was attributed to ethnicity, as she is not fully Japanese ethnically, and her physical appearance. Some said she looked like too "foreign" (gaijin), and another felt she had "too much black blood [in her] to be Japanese."[16]She is the firsthāfu(mixed) woman to be Miss Japan.[3][4][16]Following her win, Miyamoto had to explain to the Japanese media that she was a Japanese citizen, born and raised in the country.[16]

References

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  1. ^Trang tư, kết có (2 March 2024)."“ストレスで khẩu が khai かなくなり…” Nguyên ミス・ユニバース Nhật Bản đại biểu ・ cung bổn エリアナ phỉ báng hãm hại に cát đằng した qua đi ｜CHANTO WEB ".CHANTO WEB(in Japanese).Retrieved30 November2024.
  2. ^"Miss Universe 2015: Ariana Miyamoto".Miss Universe.IMG Universe. Archived fromthe originalon 24 December 2017.
  3. ^ab"The First Multiracial Miss Universe Japan Has Been Crowned".NBC News.17 March 2015.Retrieved12 May2015.
  4. ^abLies, Elaine; Ito, Shiori (2 April 2015)."Multiracial Miss Japan hopes to change homeland's thinking on identity".Reuters.Retrieved12 May2015.
  5. ^Spitzer, Kirk (30 May 2015)."Beauty queen fights racial bias in Japan".USA Today.Retrieved31 May2015.
  6. ^Wofford, Taylor (6 June 2015)."A Half-Black Japanese Beauty Queen Is Raising Eyebrows—But Will She Change Minds?".Newsweek.Retrieved10 May2021.
  7. ^Holley, Peter (20 March 2015)."Why some critics think Japan's Miss Universe contestant isn't Japanese enough".The Washington Post.Retrieved24 March2015.Miyamoto, who grew up in Japan but moved to the United States for high school, has cited Mariah Carey as a major inspiration because of the singer's multiracial background...
  8. ^Akcasu, Audrey (15 March 2015)."Half-Japanese beauty chosen to represent Japan at Miss Universe 2015".RocketNews24.Retrieved24 March2015.After junior high graduation in Sasebo, she spent her high school years studying in the US. Upon returning to Japan as a young adult she set her sights on becoming a model.
  9. ^Fackler, Martin (29 May 2015)."Biracial Beauty Queen Challenges Japan's Self-Image".The New York Times.Retrieved31 May2015.She said everything changed at age 13 when she decided to reach out to her father, who invited her to his home in Jacksonville, Ark.
  10. ^Brantley, Max (14 April 2015)."Former Arkansas student's racial heritage stirs controversy as Miss Japan Universe".Arkansas Times.Retrieved10 May2021.
  11. ^ab"Ariana Miyamoto, first biracial Miss Japan, brings light to racial issues in her country".CBS News.13 April 2015.Retrieved12 May2015.
  12. ^Takanashi, Kosuke (8 May 2015)."Multiracial Miss Universe Japan Symbolizes The Country's Transformation".The Huffington Post.Retrieved12 May2015.
  13. ^McNeil, Baye (18 March 2015)."From a minstrel no-show to a black beauty queen, in a week".The Japan Times.Retrieved12 May2015.
  14. ^Olya, Gabrielle (23 March 2015)."Miss Universe Japan Ariana Miyamoto Criticized for Not Being Japanese Enough".People Magazine.Retrieved10 May2021.
  15. ^Vulpo, Mike (23 March 2015)."Miss Universe Japan Facing Backlash at Home From Those Who Object to Biracial Beauty Queen Taking the Crown: Get the Details".E! Online.Retrieved12 May2015.
  16. ^abcdeChoon, Chang May (27 March 2015)."First biracial Miss Universe Japan slammed for not being 'Japanese enough'".The Jakarta Post.Retrieved10 May2021.
  17. ^Kartikawati, Eny (21 December 2015)."3 Wakil Asia di 10 Besar Miss Universe 2015, Indonesia Tak Masuk".Wolipop via detik(in Indonesian).Retrieved9 May2021.
  18. ^Alviar, Vaughn (21 January 2017)."Bashing Miss Universe".Philippine Daily Inquirer Lifestyle.Retrieved10 May2021.
  19. ^ab"Cung bổn エリアナ, Hong Kong xuất thân の giống nhau nam tính と kết hôn “ＭｉｓｓからＭｒｓ．に” ".Sankei News West(in Japanese). 28 December 2017.Retrieved9 May2021.
  20. ^"Latinas crowd Miss Universe '08 top 10".ABS-CBN News.14 July 2008.Retrieved10 May2021.
  21. ^Miyamoto, Ariana (26 December 2020)."[9month pregnant] đệ nhị tử có thai trung!! Thể điều の 変 hóa や thể trọng などについて🤰🏽|".Ariana Miyamoto via YouTube.Retrieved26 January2021.
  22. ^Miyamoto, Ariana (29 April 2021)."Đáng yêu い xích ちゃんを không có việc gì ra sản しました♡ | My baby was born".Ariana Miyamoto via YouTube.Retrieved9 May2021.
  23. ^"Nguyên ミス・ユニバース Nhật Bản đại biểu ・ cung bổn エリアナ “ママはいつ bỉ thị できる の? って ( cười )” tức tử たちと の オープンな quan hệ tính ｜CHANTO WEB ".CHANTO WEB(in Japanese). 2 March 2024.Retrieved2 October2024.
  24. ^"Quan quang danh dự đại sứ: Cung bổn エリアナさん “Tá thế bảo の mị lực をＰＲ” ".The Mainichi Shimbun(in Japanese). 15 August 2017.Retrieved10 May2021.
  25. ^Holley, Peter (13 May 2015)."Japan's half-black Miss Universe says discrimination gives her 'extra motivation'".The Washington Post.Retrieved9 May2021.
  26. ^Nagata, Masatoshi (6 August 2015)."Not Japanese Enough? Miss Universe Japan looks to fight prejudice » Nichi Bei".Nichi bei News.Retrieved10 May2021.
  27. ^abWesby, Maya (19 August 2015)."Japan's Problem With Race".Newsweek.Retrieved10 May2021.
  28. ^Wingfield-Hayes, Rupert (4 June 2015)."The beauty contest winner making Japan look at itself".BBC News.Retrieved10 May2021.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Miss Universe Japan
2015 		Succeeded by
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