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The Cuban-American host and announcer Enrique Santos came to the defense of Lina Luaces, after Argentine journalist Pablo Padula mocked the traditional outfit that the young woman wore in the international Miss Universe pageant.
Padula spoke contemptuously of the suit, calling it "the worst of all time" and comparing it to "a turkey that had paint thrown on it."
Then Santos —who is also one of the most influential voices in the Cuban-American community in Miami— responded forcefully to the journalist's taunts, explaining that the outfit had a deep patriotic meaning and was far from being a mere eccentricity.
The speaker clarified that the supposed "baseball bats" referred to by Padula were actually oars, in homage to the thousands of Cuban rafters who lost their lives in the Florida Strait while attempting to reach freedom.
Additionally, he explained that the two domino tiles that complemented the design were not chosen at random: they displayed 7 and 11, a direct reference to July 11, 2021, the date when thousands of Cubans took to the streets to demand freedom and the end of the communist dictatorship.
Santos referred to the Argentine journalist as “ignorant” and invited him to “research before speaking nonsense”, reminding that Lina's outfit not only represented beauty but also the suffering and the hope of a people that has been under repression for more than six decades.
The Cuban contestant was among the 12 finalists of the contest that concluded last Wednesday with the crowning of the Mexican representative Fátima Bosch.
Luaces, daughter of the popular presenter Lili Estefan, stated that she has always dreamed of representing Cuba in the pageant as a tribute to all the women of the island who gave her her roots.
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