• Lihasha Lindsay White on promoting SL through pageants

Pageants such as Miss Universe have often been watched by millions worldwide as viewers anticipate their country’s representation. This year, Lihasha Lindsay White will represent Sri Lanka at the Miss Universe pageant 2025, bringing hope and recognition to millions of Sri Lankans. The 74th Miss Universe pageant will take place on the 21 November in Bangkok, Thailand.

While Lihasha is far from the first to represent Sri Lanka on the global pageant stage, it is still exciting for those of us who have grown up watching pageant contestants to send off someone new to represent us and take our culture to the world. “I’m excited to represent our country and take our image to the world stage,” White said at a conference held on 31 October. “I believe it will be a very inspiring as well as an exciting journey.”

Flying the flag high

Sri Lanka has always been a country that has been drawn to pageants. This year, Miss World Sri Lanka Anudi Gunasekara gained global attention, especially as she secured the title of First Runner Up in the global multimedia challenge.

Following this impact on the global stage, many viewers are hopeful that Sri Lanka will be able to bring people across the world knowledge and appreciation of Sri Lanka and its unique way of life.

“I grew up watching pageants, and whenever Miss World or Miss Universe is on, I would always watch it,” 28-year-old Ranusha Karunanayake told The Daily Morning Brunch. “I believe that the world lost out on Sri Lanka in the last Miss World pageant, so I’m really hoping that we would be able to advance and share our rich culture in this year’s Miss Universe. I really do wish Lihasha the best of luck.”

No small feat

White herself said that she was incredibly thankful for the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka and hopes to make her country and her many fans proud.  “It’s an incredible honour to represent Sri Lanka on the Miss Universe stage,” she said. “My goal is to bring forward the warmth, strength, and spirit of our people and make our nation proud.”

While White is now representing our country on the world stage, she confessed that it was a journey filled with growth and preparation. “This has always been my dream since I was a little girl,” she said. “However, I didn’t start out that way. I was very shy growing up, and this is my first time competing so I must say I’m really proud of how far I’ve come and excited about what is to come.”

White said that achieving her dream came with a lot of hard work; however, that only made her persevere to succeed. Prior to her departure, White underwent extensive training with international mentors from Indonesia and the Philippines who helped her focus on her communication skills as well as her performance during the question-and-answer segment of the competition. 

“I’ve watched pageants throughout my childhood and Miss Universe has always been a big favourite of mine,” Rochelle Manuelpillai said. “But I’m particularly invested this year because Lihasha has not shied away from her personality as a shy girl who is making her way in the world. As someone who was very shy and struggled to make friends, I relate to her, so I will be wishing her the best of luck as she competes and makes a difference in the world.”

Making a difference 

Like most pageants, competing is not just about beauty. It is a mix of poise, talent and personality that strives to achieve some good in the world. It is a purpose that White strives to fulfil.  

“I want to be an advocate for those who feel unseen, especially abandoned children and animals, because I believe that a little change and a little care could change someone’s life,” she said. 

In order to do that, White has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the causes that matter most to her as she also juggles representing Sri Lanka at a global level.

“It has not been an easy journey and there has been a lot of work put in,” Miss Universe Sri Lanka National Director Nimal Bandara said. “A lot of you who have been following our journey on social media have noticed the preparation that goes into participating in a pageant as large and prestigious as Miss Universe.”