Maria Thattil (born 1992 or 1993) is an Australian media personality, HR manager, beauty pageant titleholder, podcaster, author, and actor.

[1] She went to a private girls' school, and was bullied growing up, and thought that she would have to rid herself of her Indian identity in order to blend in as an Australian.

[4] Thattil was nominated for a Harvard fellowship program, which she turned down after deciding that her focus would go wider than the business world.

[7][8] She said that she had entered the competition partly "to redefine Australian beauty standards" in Australia, which were focused on tall white women (she is just 5'3"), and to defy bullies and trolls who had targeted her on social media.

[15][11] On 2 September 2024 she appeared on ABC Television's current affairs panel show Q+A, in a special event filmed in Dandenong, Victoria.

[16] In August 2023 Thattil made her acting debut in a guest role in the reboot of Mother and Son on ABC Television.

[11][17] In December 2023, Thattil joined the cast of Neighbours in the guest role of Amira Devkar, the first ever South Asian queer character in the show.

[23] Thattil has been ambassador for the Witchery White Shirt campaigns, which raises money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, since at least 2022[23] and as of 2024.

[5] In October 2023, she gave a talk at TedX Sydney, titled "The 6 Words You Need To Change Your Life", in which she spoke about embracing her authentic self, and using her voice and platform to speak out about issues that are important to her.

[24][25] She has also represented many well-known brands, including Olay, Alfa Romeo, Clinique, Myer, Tommy Hilfiger, and others.