In a world where altering one's appearance is as easy as a click, the pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards can be overwhelming, especially for teenagers. This is a reality that 19-year-old Kaziah Liz Mejo, the newly crowned Miss Universe Kerala, knows all too well. Her journey from an extroverted and self-assured child in Abu Dhabi to a confident beauty queen is a testament to the power of self-acceptance and the importance of challenging societal norms.
Growing up in Abu Dhabi, Kaziah was exposed to a different kind of pressure. While her peers were focused on fitting in and navigating the challenges of adolescence, Kaziah was constantly switching schools, from Emirates National School to St. Joseph’s and finally to the Abu Dhabi Indian School for her senior years. Despite the changes, she felt a sense of belonging and comfort in the city.
Her mother played a crucial role in nurturing her confidence. Enrolled in classical dance lessons and local "baby shows," Kaziah developed an innate, unfiltered wit. As she recalls, "When you're a kid, there's no aspect of insecurity. All you know is to have fun, get dressed in pretty dresses and show the world what your favorite cartoon is."
However, the transition into her teenage years brought a stark shift. The natural friction of moving between schools was compounded by the toxic beauty standards of the digital age. For three years, Kaziah was obsessed with filters, using them to narrow her face, enlarge her eyes, and artificially alter her skin tone. This was especially challenging for someone with a naturally duskier complexion.
"I was very, very insecure about my skin tone," she admits. "Growing up, you see advertisements for fairness creams and you see your favorite influencers promoting them, and then you start feeling like, 'Okay, I was built wrong.'"
Her insecurities led her to question her own personality. As an extrovert, she began to take up less space and hide herself from the world, fearing rejection. This phase of body dysmorphia was a solitary battle, largely hidden from her traditional Malayali parents.
The turning point for Kaziah came from an intentional check-in with herself and a refusal to bow down to societal conventions. She describes this philosophy as staying deliberately "unrealistic" or, in Gen-Z slang, being "delulu." Her mother encouraged her to write her ambitions in a notebook, and Kaziah filled the pages with wild, un-tempered dreams, including a wish to be on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
"I'm just a regular 13-year-old in Abu Dhabi who has no connections," she thought. "I'd think to myself, 'Oh my god, I need to calm down and think of something practical.' But the audacity to dream big is what got me here today. If you stay practical, you're going to limit yourself before you even try."
This willingness to risk failure was put to the test when she entered the international teen pageant circuit and finished as first runner-up. The detour allowed her to recalibrate for the Miss Universe Kerala platform. "A winner is just a loser who tried one more time," she says.
Now holding the title, Kaziah is acutely aware of the responsibility to remain an authentic role model for young girls facing the same digital pressures she once did. "Social media is so fake," she says. "Imagine those kids who are not even confident. If we promote that fake idea, then what kind of example are we setting?"
Her rebellion against perfectionism manifests in her refusal to perform the standard pageant lifestyle. "I don't have a diet," she says, countering the curated 'What I Eat in a Day' salad videos that dominate influencer feeds. "After every single shoot, the way I treat myself is with McDonald's. If you're restricting yourself from these simple joys of life, what are you even doing?"
Instead, she advocates for an intuitive understanding of one's own body and genetics. "As Malayalis, we genetically have a little bit of a tummy because our constant meal is rice. These are things that you need to understand, you can't just be so blindsided by what you see on social media."
Kaziah's identity is a bridge between the diaspora and the homeland. Moving back to India independently at age 17 was a deliberate choice to ground her representation in the everyday realities of the country. She views her identity as more than just geography, but the morals and values that she carries within her.
Despite her commitments, Kaziah's nostalgia for Abu Dhabi remains tied to simple childhood comforts. When she finally returns to the capital, all the pageantry glam will be temporarily paused for a much simpler joy. "The first thing I have to say is have podichor," she laughs, explaining the ultimate comfort of rice and curries wrapped in a banana leaf. "And my mom has to feed me, I refuse to eat it by myself!"
In a world where appearance is so easily altered, Kaziah's journey is a powerful reminder of the importance of self-acceptance and the courage to challenge societal norms.
