Conchita Wurst wins the Eurovision Song Contest

Photo Credits: getty images

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Though she remained a polarizing figure, she also received some criticism

Conchita Wurst is the popular bearded lady of Australia and she is also the winner of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest which took place on Saturday night. Her onstage drag persona was created by a 25-year-old singer named Thomas Neuwirth and now she won the contest in her skintight glittery dress, long brown hair and of course how can anyone ignore that beard. The song that won her the contest was “Rise Like A Phoenix.”

The winning of this contest was quite inevitable for Conchita Wurst considering the wide support she had gathered from everyone and the way she was being appreciated recently. The victory actually came after she witnessed gradual snowballing of support for the drag queen in the days leading up to the final in Denmark. There is no doubt that she has remained to be an extremely polarizing figure and that has attracted a flood of respect for her views on gender and sexuality. But on the other hand, such a development would not have been free from criticism and she did receive a lot of it and the one particular that caught the attention was from a prominent Russian politician known for holding antigay views.

Soon after she won the contest, Conchita Wurst went on saying that “this night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom…we are unity and we are unstoppable.” She certainly was feeling confident but she wasn’t the only one who was a controversial figure. The voting session that follows the performances got many boos, forcing organizers to remind the audience that the event is about love and respect, not politics. Talking about the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night the 17-year-old Tolmachevy Twins also received some negative feedback throughout the night even if their own musical performance was well received.