TAKING ON THE UNIVERSE
Miss Universe Australia winner Priya Serrao advocates for diversity
“I’m not focused on getting abs in a month”
The Miss Universe Australia winner talks to WHO about advocating for diversity and why she feels as if she’s living a ‘double life’
As Indian-born Priya Serrao was crowned Miss Universe Australia on June 27, it was a bittersweet moment. “It was literally me, and that’s it,” Serrao, 27, laughs. After telling her friends, family and boyfriend “not to bother coming” to the national finals, the pageant newbie is now preparing to head to South Korea for the international leg of the competition – which launched Jennifer Hawkins’ career – set to take place on December 19 this year.
“This time around it should be a little bit different,” Serrao tells WHO. “My family and friends should all be there.”
Also jetting overseas to support Serrao representing Australia at the international final is her boyfriend Andrew. “I remember having him over before the final and we were both kind of just thinking ‘what’s going to happen?’ because we had no idea,” she reveals. “He was kind of shocked I think.”
In addition to her supportive family, Serrao says her colleagues have championed her in her new venture, despite having no clue she’d entered the prestigious event.
“I work for the government in a nine-tofive job, very just everyday normal, I guess,” she says. “I’m quite focused at work and I do my job well so everyone was pretty surprised.
“They found out because it was all over the TV and the papers and they’d seen it on social media as well and they had no idea I’d entered at all.”
So, what prompted the lawyer-to-be to enter something so “out of the blue”?
“The reason I really applied to begin with is that the platform that you get from doing something like this is really powerful and I think you can use it to do so many good things,” Serrao reveals. “I want to do lots of that, so definitely be an advocate for diversity, but also work with organisations who work with people that are marginalised or disadvantaged in any way.”
Having started her preparation for the finals later this year, Serrao admits it can feel like she’s living in two different worlds. “I do my job well and I go home kind of thing, but organising photoshoots and things like that happens over the weekends,” she says. “I’ve never really done anything like this before. I have always been a pretty studious person so I’ve kind of got a double life.”
On top of that, Serrao reveals, “I’ve gotten back into a routine of working out and I’ve
always kind of eaten relatively healthy so that’s still happening as usual.”
But when asked whether she feels the need to get in shape and look a certain way for the finals,
Serrao says that’s not the case. “Honestly, all I’m focusing on in the next six months is doing what I like doing, which is working out. I genuinely enjoy doing things like playing basketball or Lagree, which is like Pilates on steroids.”
Serrao adds, “I’m not focusing on ‘oh I need to get abs by one month’. I’m not focused on building a certain aesthetic by December. I don’t have those kind of goals.”
In terms of what’s next for the aspiring lawyer, Serrao says she’s just taking it one day at a time.
“I get a bit overwhelmed when I think anything further than the next month really. I have no kind of firm five-year plan just yet,” she tells WHO. “As long as I’m working for the social good in some way or the other – when I did law, that’s what I wanted out of it and even my work for government, and doing Miss Universe – I’m happy.”