Palacios celebrating after winning the 72nd edition of the Miss Universe pageant in San Salvador in November 2023. — AFP
IN a custom clothing shop in Manhattan earlier this year, Sheynnis Palacios was being fitted for new clothes, one of many fashion moments for the reigning Miss Universe.
She requested a unique detail for the lining of her jacket: a small mouse sketch, a tribute to the childhood nickname her late great-grandfather had given her because she used to sneak cheese from the fridge.She also requested a blue and white fringe, echoing Nicaragua’s flag colours.
As they chatted, Palacios’ clothier, Ksenia Konovalova, asked if she still lived in Nicaragua. An uneasy silence followed before a Miss Universe assistant interjected, explaining that Palacios currently lives in New York due to her Miss Universe duties.This unexpected tension underscored the complexity of her situation.
Palacios resting briefly en route to a lunch in New York. After she won the Miss Universe title, her country’s government arrested the family members of the Miss Nicaragua contest director, and she hasn’t returned home since. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
Winning the Miss Universe crown would typically trigger a nationwide celebration, and for Nicaragua, Palacios’ victory was historic.
The 24-year-old from humble beginnings was the first from her country of seven million to win the coveted title.
Nicaraguans cheered in the streets, singing the national anthem and waving flags.
Yet, almost immediately, the joyous milestone became politically charged.
The government of Nicaragua, led by authoritarian President Daniel Ortega, initially applauded Palacios. However, as she gained popularity, authorities began cracking down on her supporters.
The family of Karen Celebertti, the director of Miss Nicaragua, who had chosen Palacios to represent the country, faced harassment and arrests.
Both Palacios and Celebertti had taken part in 2018 anti-government protests that had sparked a violent crackdown by Ortega’s regime. To many, Palacios soon became a symbol of resistance.
Unlike other Miss Universe winners, who enjoy triumphant homecoming tours, Palacios has been unable to return to her homeland. As her year as Miss Universe comes to a close, she remains carefully non-committal, stressing that her schedule – over 31 countries visited in the past year – has prevented her from going back.
In interviews, Palacios is open about her upbringing and love for Nicaragua, but she avoids discussing its government. She insists this is because she’s a “global ambassador” representing the Miss Universe Organisation rather than solely Nicaragua.Yet, there’s an implicit tension. Reports suggest that her grandmother and younger brother were granted humanitarian parole to the United States in April, though she declines to comment.
She does, however, maintain that she’s not barred from returning to Nicaragua.
“My country hasn’t closed the doors, nor have I received documentation or information that I’m not welcome,” she said.In May, Anne Jakrajutatip, a co-owner of the Miss Universe Organisation, posted on social media – only to delete it later – that Palacios was in “indefinite exile” and referenced the “cruel intentions” of the Ortega government.
While Palacios denies being in exile, there’s no denying the risk. She still has family and friends in Nicaragua who could face consequences if she speaks out.
Born in Managua, Palacios first entered the public eye at 16 when she won the Miss Teen Nicaragua pageant.
While at university, she went on to win Miss World Nicaragua in 2020, eventually achieving her dream of being crowned Miss Nicaragua in 2023.
Palacios, who grew up in a financially struggling household, earned a scholarship to the prestigious Central American University to study communications. In her spare time, she helped her mother sell homemade bunuelos, a fried dough treat.
She was a university student in 2018 when protests against Ortega’s government erupted. Like many young Nicaraguans, she joined the demonstrations, which were met with swift repression.Since her Miss Universe win, the Ortega administration has become suspicious of her and her supporters. Ortega and his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, have gone as far as accusing Celebertti and her family of being part of an “anti-patriotic conspiracy” aimed at overthrowing them.
In an ongoing crackdown, Ortega’s administration arrested Celebertti’s husband and teenage son. Both were later released but expelled from the country, joining Celebertti and her daughter, who had already fled to Mexico.
Meanwhile, Murillo announced the creation of a new government-run beauty pageant, a move widely interpreted as a reaction to Palacios’s growing influence.
Despite the implicit threat, Palacios maintains she is unafraid and insists that she has no ties to any political cause.
For Palacios, being Miss Universe was meant to be a dream fulfilled, a chance to represent her country on a global stage. But it has come with a high personal cost.She says she plans to return to Nicaragua eventually “to enjoy the beautiful beaches of my country, the biodiversity we have, to spend time with my people”.
Yet, there’s no clear timeline for her homecoming. For now, her legacy as Miss Universe is complicated, entwined with a tense political landscape. It’s a role she navigates cautiously, trying to honour both her country and her conscience.
As her friend Hanny Javier Falcon puts it, “She left Nicaragua, but Nicaragua hasn’t left her soul or her heart.” — ©2024 The New York Times Company
