Karolina Shiino

Karolina Shiino
Born (1997-08-24) August 24, 1997 (age 26)
Ternopil, Ukraine
CitizenshipJapanese
OccupationModel

Karolina Shiino (Japanese: 椎野カロリーナ, romanizedShiino Karolīna; Ukrainian: Кароліна Шиїно, romanizedKarolina Shyino; born 24 August 1997)[1] is a Ukrainian-born Japanese model.

Biography[edit]

Shiino was born in Ternopil, western Ukraine in 1997 to Ukrainian parents[1][2] and moved to Nagoya, Japan at the age of five when her mother Svitlana married her Japanese step-father.[3][4] Shiino has said that she feels Japanese in both "speech and mind", but she has stated that she had to regularly endure commentary while she was growing up about how she looked different.[2] Svitlana Shiino is also a model and a winner of multiple contests.[3]

On February 27, 2021, Shiino appeared on "ARIYOSHI'S Meeting for Reviewing", she regretted cheating in her profile. In her profile, she claimed to be trilingual, speaking Japanese, Ukrainian, and Russian, but in reality, she revealed that she could only speak Japanese. She can understand Ukrainian, but is unable to speak it.[5]

2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix[edit]

In January 2024, Shiino was announced as the winner of the 2024 Miss Nippon Grand Prix beauty pageant.[6][7] She is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant.[8] The pageant's judges were drawn to Shiino's confidence.[2] The pageant's operator said she won the title because she is a hard-working and humble Japanese woman with a strong sense of consideration for others.[9] Her win sparked debates over "Japaneseness" and the shifting demographics of Japan.[2][9][10][11] After winning the pageant, Shiino stated that she was grateful to be accepted as Japanese and said, "I hope to contribute to building a society that respects diversity and is not judgmental about how people look."[12]

Revocation of the title Miss Nippon 2024[edit]

On January 31, Shūkan Bunshun reported that Shiino was having an affair with a married man. The Miss Nippon Grand Prix organizers initially denied the report as untrue, but on February 5, Shiino admitted to the affair, withdrew her Miss Nippon title, and offered to terminate her contract with her entertainment agency.[13] In response, the Miss Nippon Grand Prix organizers revoked Shiino's title as Miss Nippon and declared the 2024 Miss Nippon title vacant. On Instagram, Shiino apologized to the wife and family of the doctor with whom she had an affair, as well as to Miss Nippon Grand Prix officials and those who supported her in winning the Miss Nippon title.[14][15]

Personal life[edit]

Shiino received Japanese citizenship in 2022.[16][17] Her maternal grandmother Maria migrated to Japan in the spring of 2022 as a Ukrainian refugee following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Who is Carolina Shiino? All About Miss Japan 2024", BOL News, January 25, 2024
  2. ^ a b c d Demetriou, Danielle (January 24, 2024). "Ukrainian-born model crowned Miss Japan sparks national identity debate". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "A girl from Ternopil won the "Miss Japan" competition and stirred up the network". Tablo ID (in Ukrainian). January 24, 2024. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Khan, Zeba (January 25, 2024). "What does it mean to be Japanese? Ukraine-born model wins Miss Japan, social media backlash follows". WION News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. ^ "ウクライナ人モデル・カロリーナ、日本語しか話せないと告白「日本人として生きたいんですよ」" (in Japanese). WEBザテレビジョン. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "ミス日本グランプリ 椎野 カロリーナ" (in Japanese). Miss Nippon Grand Prix. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Khalil, Shaimaa (January 24, 2024). "Ukrainian-born model winning Miss Japan re-ignites identity debate". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Sharma, Shweta (January 24, 2024). "Ukrainian-born Japanese woman sparks debate after being crowned Miss Japan". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Choi, Christy (January 26, 2024). "'I am absolutely Japanese': Ukrainian-born model sparks debate by winning Miss Japan pageant". CNN. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Quadri, Sami (January 25, 2024). "Race row erupts after Ukrainian-born model wins Miss Japan title". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  11. ^ 奥原, 慎平 (January 24, 2024). "「日本らしい美しさ」SNSで論議 椎野カロリーナさん、初の欧州ルーツ「ミス日本」" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Mari Yamaguchi. "Ukrainian-born Miss Japan rekindles an old question: What does it mean to be Japanese?". AP News.
  13. ^ Ukrainian-born Miss Japan relinquishes crown following alleged affair Leah Dolan, CNN, February 6, 2024
  14. ^ 椎野カロリーナ「ミス日本グランプリ」辞退→異例の“空位”に【報告全文】 (in Japanese). Oricon. February 5, 2024. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  15. ^ ミス日本の椎野カロリーナさん“不倫”認識あった 本人申し出で所属事務所が契約解除 (in Japanese). Sports Nippon. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  16. ^ "Model of Ukrainian origin Karolina Shiino became the winner of the beauty contest "Miss Japan-2024"". Ukrinform (in Ukrainian). January 24, 2024. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  17. ^ "The model of Ukrainian origin, Karolina Shiino, won the Miss Japan contest: why did it infuriate the Japanese". 24 Kanal (in Ukrainian). January 24, 2024. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  18. ^ "Interview with grandmother who evacuated from Ukraine". KARO's channel (Carolina Shiino's YouTube channel) on YouTube (in Japanese and Ukrainian). April 12, 2022. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.

External links[edit]