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Just by looking at Miss Universe Finland 2016, the first question one would automatically ask is about her mixed descent. Shirly Karvinen is the daughter of a Finnish father and Chinese mother which explains the oriental features. She is what you would actually call a girl with expat roots as she actually grew up in mining companies around Africa where her dad used to be employed full-time.

In an interview with Finland Today, Shirly recounted that “she was born in a small city of Jyväskylä in the central Finland, with a mother of Chinese descent and a father, who is a native Finn. While very young, her parents decided to move abroad, and Shirly explored different countries in Africa from Tanzania to Kenya because of her parents’ various job locations. In Africa, she said, she didn’t feel different “because there were so many kinds of different races.”

Shirly came back to Finland at a tender age of seven. “I couldn’t speak proper Finnish. I had to learn normal words like ‘cats’ and ‘dogs’.

“I would like people to remember me as someone who represented Finland in a very elegant way. Someone who is kind and open, and I want all Finnish people to see me as their own Miss Finland.”

Shirly can be easily mistaken as having Filipino roots, a mestiza if you will. But she is all Finnish-Chinese, a unique blend that sets her apart from the rest. Will she also be able to stand out in the competition?

Shirly can remind us of familiar faces, such as former Bb. Pilipinas Tisha Silang in some angles. But that’s beside the point. I would be more interested to see how her beauty will fare alongside the rest.

Your comments on Shirly, dear readers?

courtesy of 51NGL3 Company Oy