The winner of the  Miss Russia beauty pageant, Elmira Abdrazakova, has been bombarded with hate mail and criticism for not being "Russian" enough.  The criticism comes partly because her father is Tatar, an ethnic minority; Abdrazakova was born in Kazakhstan, known to most Westerners by way of the mocumentary Borat. A bevy of haters have raised raucous protests, and she's been called "not a 'true' Russian"-one critic said she could only be considered "a real beauty among sheep." A slew of backlash, hate mail, and rants online have caused serious problems for the newly-crowned beauty queen.

The 18-year-old Abdrazakova is, however, a Russian citizen-- she just happens to be an ethnic minority. Supporters argue that the definition of "Russian" shouldn't just mean the dominant standard of traditional Slavic beauty-Russia is a large country, with innumerable ethnicities, cultures and historical traditions.

This controversy is a reminder that racism exists everywhere, not just on the black/white lines many Americans think of, and even within cultures-similar examples include the popularity of skin-bleaching creams in South Asia, because lighter skin is traditionally a mark of a higher caste and thus considered more desirable for marriage.

Abdrazakova says that she has decided to shut down both her Facebook and her Twitter pages in order to not be compelled to read negative, hurtful things about herself.

Abdrazakova was angered and puzzled by the controversy, telling Sky News "I don't really understand... why men would write to a young girl offensive things about her nationality. It was bizarre for me when men were writing things like that to me, I was surprised we have people of that sort here."

Despite this, she hopes she will inspire other young women to work hard, develop, and defy odds.

"For many teenage girls Miss Russia will become a role model, a measure of beauty," she said.  "Maybe some girls will look at me and get inspired by my experience to grow, to develop, to work hard. I hope they can see that in life you can reach something without big money."