I respect Pakistan's culture that's why I didn't want to share my swimsuit ramp walk on social media: Roma Michael

Model and actress Roma Michael addressed the controversy surrounding her participation in Miss Grand International 2024, where her runway appearance in a swimsuit sparked widespread backlash.

It was October 2024 when Michael's ramp-walk in a swimsuit bikini-clad went viral, subsequently, she received a blistering backlash, prompting her to remove the videos, but the images and clips continued to circulate online.

A month after the controversy, Michael appeared in a podcast as a platform to clarify her position, stating that the decision to wear the swimsuit was not her own.

Acknowledging that the outfit clashed with cultural norms and that public outrage was predictable, she unveiled the conditions of the pageant, which she described as very harsh.

“It was a format of the show, I told them to give me scarf but Miss Grand’s president is very strict, and he didn’t want to alter theformat,” she revealed.

“They said they would not allow burkinis or scarves,” Roma said, adding, “Everyone had to wear the same swimsuits, which were provided by the organisation.”

Michael shared that the controversy escalated after Indian fans began tagging her on social media, leading to widespread coverage by Indian outlets and eventually reaching Pakistan. “It made me regret participating. I never thought the reaction would be so overwhelming,” she admitted.

Michael was aware of the reaction, but she believed that the audience of her home country had less interest in live fashion shows which led her to assume that the fallout would be minima. 

However, the viral videos and intense backlash made her fearful of returning to Pakistan.

“My friends advised me not to return to Pakistan, so I stayed abroad for a while,” she said. Eventually, believing the uproar had subsided, Michael decided to return.

Following the ramp walk, Michael felt that it would be difficult for her to live in Pakistan, However, she noted that some people remarked, “She’s Christian, so she can wear such dresses,” which slightly eased the criticism.