NEW YORK.- The winners of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA 2023 delivered their titles for reasons of mental health after the resignation of a director of the contest of beauty American who denounced a toxic work environment.
On Monday, Venezuelan-American Noelia Voigt, crowned Miss USA 2023, announced on Instagram that she was renouncing her title: “aware of the shock this may be for many.”
“Never put your physical and mental well-being in danger (…) Prioritize your mental health, defend yourself and others using your voice, without ever being afraid of what the future holds for you,” wrote the young woman, who He took the crown at the age of 24.
This Wednesday she was followed by her compatriot of Indian and Mexican origin, UmaSofia Srivastava, elected Miss Teen USA 2023, who also announced at the same platform that he had: “decided to resign because (his) personal values no longer fully correspond with those of the leadership of the Miss USA organization.”
Pageant controversies
The Miss USA pageant has been plagued by controversy for approximately a decade, as the American magazine Forbes noted on Thursday.
However, it is the first time in seven decades that a winner resigns for a reason other than being crowned. Miss Universe.
A week ago, complaints of possible psychological abuse and pressure on the contestants of the contest, created in 1952 and in the hands of Donald Trump until 2015, began to discreetly circulate on social networks.
The social media manager for the Miss USA organization, Claudia Michelle, announced her resignation in a long message on Instagram, in which she mentioned Voigt and Srivastava. “I have had the privilege of working closely with Noelia and, unfortunately, I have witnessed an attack on her mental health since our first meeting,” Michelle said.
“I also witnessed firsthand the lack of respect towards Uma and her family,” he continued. “Noelia and Uma’s mental health and happiness have suffered,” she warned.
Michelle refused to remain silent in the face of: “toxicity and bullying in all its forms in the workplace.”
Source: AFP
