Eneisy Rodríguez, the representative of Hialeah in Miss Universe Cuba 2026, posted an emotional bilingual text on her Instagram account @erod_29 where she reported having received cyberbullying and criticism regarding her physical appearance during her participation in the contest, and responded with a lesson in empathy that won over thousands of people.
The young woman, a professor of audiovisual media, actress, and dancer, shared that the negative comments started from the very first day of her journey in the competition and intensified over the weeks.
"Reading comments saying that I don't belong here, seeing critiques about my appearance, and experiencing remarks about my body has been painful," she wrote with a honesty that few dare to show in public.
Far from remaining silent, Eneisy chose to raise her voice for a very clear reason: "I wanted to speak about this not because I want to give more attention to negativity, but because I made a promise to myself to always remain true to who I am and to the values I represent."
As a teacher, her message carries special weight. "Every day I teach my students to choose kindness, to practice empathy, and to remember that words have power. Those lessons don't end in the classroom. They matter, and a lot, in the digital world," she pointed out.
The heart of her writing was a powerful and necessary reminder: "There is no single definition of beauty. Every woman deserves to feel comfortable in her own skin, to occupy her space, and to pursue her dreams without fear of being judged for simply being herself."
The post accumulated more than 387 "likes" and 130 supportive comments. Among them was one from her fellow contestants, such as Daniela Reyes (@danielareyesofficial), who left the following message: "What pride it gives me to see women turning difficult moments into a message of love. Keep shining with the same strength and authenticity."
Eneisy also responded to her followers with gratitude: "This journey has reminded me that, although negativity can be loud, love, compassion, and community are much stronger."
And the competition returned the affection in the most beautiful way: her fellow contestants selected her as the winner of a special activity through internal voting, recognizing her attitude, commitment, energy, and camaraderie. One of them explained her vote like this: "I know how hard she works to get to class on time every day, so to me, she deserves it."
Eneisy is also the first representative from Hialeah in the history of Miss Universe Cuba, a fact of special symbolic significance: the city will celebrate the centenary of its founding in 2026 and is one of the most important Cuban enclaves in the United States.
The grand final of Miss Universe Cuba 2026 is scheduled for August 20 at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center in Cutler Bay, Miami, where the winner will earn the right to represent Cuba at Miss Universe 2026, set to take place in November in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
This edition of the competition has not been free from controversies on social media, with other contestants also reporting digital attacks. However, Eneisy chose to respond in the only way she knows: “Kindness is never too much. We all have the choice to support each other instead of tearing each other down. I hope we choose empathy more often, because our words carry much more weight than we sometimes realize.”
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