The 2023 Miss USA and Miss Teen 2023 winners returned their crowns this week, citing “mental health” reasons, after the Miss USA leader who denounced a “toxic” work environment resigned.
This controversy about the possible psychological abuse and pressure on these young women, accompanied by rumors of silence around this competition created in 1952 – in the hands of Donald Trump until 2015 – began secretly a week ago on social networks.
It gained momentum on Thursday in the American and international press.
It all started on May 3, when the head of social networks for the Miss USA organization, Claudia Michele, announced her departure in a long message on Instagram.
She cites the name of the American of Venezuelan origin, Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA 2023 at the age of 24, and her compatriot of Indian and Mexican origin, Uma Sofia Srivastava, who was elected Miss Teen USA 2023 at the age of seventeen.
“I had the privilege of working closely with Noelia, and unfortunately I noticed an attack on her mental health from our first meeting,” denounces Ms. Michele.
“Keep quiet”
“I have also been at the forefront to witness the disrespect towards Uma and her family,” she continues, warning that Noelia and Uma’s “mental health and happiness have taken a huge hit” and refusing to “remain silent.”
Claudia Michele also asserts that she “disavows toxicity and intimidation in all its forms in the workplace” and mocks the “unprofessional and inadequate” way in which “the current management talks about winners.”
The resigned leader recalls that “without (these young women) there is no Miss USA and no Miss Teen USA” and that “their voices and stories must be heard and not silenced.”
Noelia Voigt announced on Monday on Instagram that she would give up the title of Miss USA 2023, due to her “mental health.”
“I realize the trauma this may be to many. Never put your physical and mental health at risk. Our health is our wealth (…) Prioritize your mental health, and stand up for yourself and others by speaking out without ever fearing what the future holds for you,” the young woman pleads. Strongly.
Noelia Voigt is followed on Wednesday by her youngest, Uma Sofia Srivastava, who also announced on Instagram that she “has decided to resign because her personal values no longer fully align with those of the Miss USA organization’s management.”
The latter responded “to respect and support Noelia’s decision to leave her position (because) the well-being of the laureates has always been a priority.”
American Forbes magazine reported on Thursday that the Miss United States contest has been witnessing controversy for about ten years, but this is the first time in seven decades that a winner has resigned for a reason other than being crowned in the Miss Universe contest.
In recent days, many users of social networks such as TikTok believe that they have discovered an encrypted and hidden message in Noelia Voigt’s post.
In fact, by taking the first letter of the first 11 sentences of his message, the phrase “I am silent” appears, according to what the American channel “NBC” and the French “Le Point” and “Huffington Post” magazines reported on Thursday.
They consider it an echo of the message of former Miss USA president, Claudia Michele, who wanted to break the “silence” and supposed silence around women’s beauty pageants.
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