Miss USA Noelia Voigt (L) and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava
New York:
The resignations of the reigning Miss USA and Miss Teen USA within the house of some days have put the pageants’ guardian group below the microscope — particularly because the younger girls cited psychological well being and variations in values as their causes.
The pair stepped down simply days after an worker of the Miss USA group — which was created in 1952 and owned for a time by Donald Trump — give up, citing “office toxicity” and claiming the 2 titleholders had been mistreated.
Claudia Michelle, Miss USA’s social media director, resigned on Might 3, saying in an Instagram submit that she had labored with out compensation for 2 months, was not given correct workers, and believed administration disrespected the winners.
Michelle stated she had labored intently with Miss USA Noelia Voigt — a 24-year-old Venezuelan American who was topped in September — and had seen “a decline in her psychological well being” — a problem Voigt talked about when she resigned on Monday.
As for Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, who’s 17, Michelle stated she had “firsthand seen the disrespect towards Uma and her household.”
“I disavow office toxicity and bullying of any type,” Michelle wrote, slamming the “unprofessional and inappropriate” manner she felt administration had spoken to Voigt and Srivastava.
In her personal Instagram submit, Voigt — who represented the western state of Utah — stated she was resigning, noting: “By no means compromise your bodily and psychological well-being. Our well being is our wealth.”
She referred to as her time as Miss USA “extremely significant,” highlighting her charity work and being the primary Venezuelan American to win the title.
However she additionally stated she hoped to “encourage others to stay steadfast, prioritize your psychological well being, advocate for your self and others by utilizing your voice, and by no means be afraid of what the longer term holds.”
Web sleuths have even identified what they imagine to be a coded message: the primary letters of every sentence in Voigt’s assertion spell out “I AM SILENCED.”
Srivastava — a self-described “first technology, Mexican-Indian American” from New Jersey — stated Wednesday she was relinquishing her crown as her “private values not totally align with the path of the group.”
In response, the Miss USA group stated: “We respect and assist Noelia’s determination to step down from her duties. The well-being of our titleholders is a prime precedence.”
Miss Teen USA issued a equally worded assertion about Srivastava.
Miss USA Controversy
The Miss USA contest has seen a lot of controversies and scandals in recent times, with a number of allegations of preferential therapy given to sure contestants, in response to media studies.
The group later discovered these claims to be unsubstantiated, however the president of Miss USA, former titleholder Crystle Stewart, stepped down.
Her husband Max Sebrechts, who had served because the group’s vice chairman, left amid a swirl of sexual harassment allegations made by previous contestants.
Voigt’s resignation was the primary time {that a} Miss USA titleholder had surrendered the submit because the inception of the competitors for any cause aside from being topped Miss Universe, a linked pageant.
Cheslie Kryst, who was topped Miss USA in 2019, died by suicide in early 2022.
In her memoir, revealed posthumously final month and excerpted by Folks journal, she wrote of “long-standing insecurities” that once more got here to the fore when she received the title and suffered on-line abuse.
(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
