Russia has selected a beauty queen from the Republic of Tatarstan to represent the country at the 2021 edition of Miss Universe, the world’s second most famous pageant, due to be held on December 12 in the Israeli city of Eilat.
Ralina Arabova, born in the Tatar city of Kazan, is a multiple-time beauty pageant winner, having been crowned Miss Energo 2017, Miss Photo 2018, and Miss Tatarstan 2019. She also represented Tatarstan at Miss Russia 2019, where she finished as second runner-up. Now, she will represent the country in Miss Universe 2021.
As part of the contest, Arabova will have to go through choreography classes, interviews, photoshoots, and a national costume contest, where she will wear a stylized Tatar national costume based on the traditional dress of the Kazan queens.
Before her pageant success, Ralina was a prize-winning musician who played the flute. She now studies at university in Moscow, where she plans to get a law degree.
Last year’s Miss Universe contest, held in the US, was won by Andrea Meza, a Mexican beauty queen. Russia’s representative was Alina Sanko, who finished outside the top 21 places.