One of the managers of the beauty contest, who also resigned, denounced “toxicity and intimidation” at work and “inadequate” management towards the winners.
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The 2023 Miss USA and Miss Teen USA winners returned their crowns this week citing reasons of “Mental Health”. Their resignation follows that of an American beauty pageant manager who denounced a work environment “toxic” for these young women.
This controversy started on Friday, May 3, when the head of social networks for the Miss USA organization, Claudia Michelle, announced her departure in a message on Instagram. She mentions by name the American Noelia Voigt, 24 years old, crowned Miss USA 2023 in September and her compatriot UmaSofia Srivastava, elected Miss Teen USA 2023 at 17 years old.
“Lack of respect”
“I have had the privilege of working closely with Noelia and have unfortunately noticed a decline in her mental health since our first meeting”writes Claudia Michelle on her Instagram account, refusing to “keep quiet”. Claudia Michelle also says “disavow toxicity and bullying in all its forms in the workplace” by making fun of the way “unprofessional and inadequate” of which “the current management talks about the winners”.
In response on Monday, Noelia Voigt announced on Instagram that she is surrendering her 2023 Miss USA title, citing her “Mental Health”. “Our health is our wealth (…) Give priority to your mental health”, pleaded the young woman. She was followed on Wednesday by her youngest daughter UmaSofia Srivastava who announced she had “decided to resign because (his) personal values no longer fully correspond to those of the organization’s leadership” Miss USA.
The Miss USA pageant has been rife with controversy for around ten years, but this is the first time in seven decades that a winner has resigned for a reason other than a coronation in the Miss Universe pageant. The competition established in 1952, and was in the hands of businessman and former President Donald Trump from 1996 to 2015.
