Miss Finland has been stripped of her crown after a photo of her pulling up the corners of her eyes sparked backlash in Asia.

The picture of Sarah Dzafce, who competed at last month’s Miss Universe pageant in Thailand, was uploaded by her friend with the caption “eating with a Chinese”.

The image depicts a broadly smiling Dzafce, 22, performing the slanted-eyes pose, which is considered an offensive depiction of Asian features.

Dzafce’s two manicured pointer fingers lift the tops of her eyelids upwards, forcing her eyes into a thin, angled squint.

The picture went viral online, triggering backlash among Finland’s Asian community before the anger spread to Japan, South Korea and China.

However, the outcry prompted some Finnish MPs to come out in support of the beauty queen by posting photos of themselves repeating the slanted-eyes depiction.

Sarah Dzafce at the Miss Universe 2025 pageant in Thailand. Photo: AAP

Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued a public apology to people and nations offended by the controversy.

“These posts do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion,” Orpo said in statements released by Finnish embassies in China, Japan and South Korea, according to Reuters.

“Our message in Finland and to all our friends abroad is that the government takes racism seriously and is committed to combatting the issue.”

Orpo said Dzafce’s behaviour was “thoughtless and stupid”.

The country’s national carrier Finnair said the controversy had triggered a backlash in Asian markets.

Dzafce responded to the initial outcry by claiming the picture showed her suffering a headache and that it had been posted without her consent.

In a post written in Finnish she apologised.

“One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences,” she wrote on Instagram.