Thuzar Wint Lwin (Burmese: သူဇာဝင့်လွင်; born 18 October 1998), also known as Candy Thuzar, is a Burmese model, activist and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Myanmar 2020. She represented Myanmar at the Miss Universe 2020 pageant, where she placed in the Top 21 and won the Best National Costume award, becoming the first representative of Myanmar to place in the competition.

As a beauty pageant titleholder, Thuzar Wint Lwin became a political activist for the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar, participating in protests and demonstrations and raising awareness against the military junta and 2021 coup d'état. As a result of her activism, the Burmese military junta put out an arrest warrant for Thuzar Wint Lwin, and she received asylum in the United States.

Early life and education

Thuzar Wint Lwin was born on 18 October 1998 in Yangon. At the time of winning Miss Universe Myanmar, Thuzar Wint Lwin was a student studying English at East Yangon University. She is the youngest child among three siblings, having an older brother and a sister, May, who is a Burmese actress and singer.

Pageantry

Political activism

Immediately following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Thuzar Wint Lwin became an activist for the Myanmar pro-democracy movement, through both participating in rallies and online social media activism.^[12][13] Thuzar Wint Lwin also became affiliated with the We Want Justice three-finger salute movement, which was launched on social media and saw several Burmese celebrities participating.^[14][15]

Following Miss Universe 2020, where Thuzar Wint Lwin advocated for the pro-democracy movement on international television, an arrest warrant was announced by the military junta.^{[12][16][17][18]} Following the arrest warrant, Thuzar Wint Lwin was granted asylum in the United States, settling in Indianapolis, Indiana with the local Burmese American community.^[19] In August 2021, she moved to London after signing with a British modeling agency.^[20]

References