The resignation of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA against a backdrop of mental health and toxicity damages the image of the pageant

UNITED STATES – Will the beauty pageant be able to recover? In the United States, the surprise resignation of Noelia Voigt, Miss USA 2023, surprised everyone when she decided to give up her title. Evoking her desire to preserve her mental health, the young woman was followed two days later by Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava.

A crisis situation for the American competition, which is not without consequences for the reputation of this institution. In question ? Enigmatic messages from Noelia Voigt and UmaSofia Srivastava on social networks to explain their resignation and which seem to reflect an unenviable environment for the two young women.

“I AM SILENCED”

Monday May 6, Miss USA 2023 explained in a long publication on Instagram that she now wanted to prioritize her “ Mental Health “ after winning the competition last September. “ Advocate for yourself and others using your voice and never be afraid of what the future holds, even if it seems uncertain », Also declared the miss, only 23 years old, supported by the organization of the competition, who then promised to quickly announce her replacement.

An approach almost immediately welcomed by health professionals and many fans, despite their disappointment. Except there’s a catch. Particularly attentive Internet users believe that this publication actually hides a subliminal message. All you need to do is focus on the first letter of each of the first eleven sentences written on Instagram. Which give : “I AM SILENCED” (Or “I am silenced” in French).

A particularly strange message, especially since the probability of an involuntary gesture is particularly tiny, as confirmed by a journalist from Point in the tweet below. Provided we ignore the last three sentences which give “ HIP ”, the meaning of which seems much more hazardous.

But this is still enough to suggest that this resignation is not solely due to this desire to preserve his mental health. Or at least that the real reasons have not been fully made public.

“Toxicity and bullying in the workplace”

On Wednesday, it was UmaSofia Srivastava who followed the example of her younger sister with a message published on Instagram which begins with an enigmatic quote from the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “ There are no beautiful surfaces without frightening depth.”

In the rest of her message, she writes that after ” careful consideration “, she has ” decided to resign », believing that its “ personal values ​​no longer fully align with the direction of the organization ” of the competition. A message to which Noelia Voigt was one of the first to react by responding in the comments: ” I love you ! So proud of you my angel.”

Cascading resignations which are surprising as they seem linked and close in time. This is where a third protagonist comes in: Claudia Michelle. This woman was just a few days ago the social media director of Miss USA.

As the BBC tells it, she herself resigned from her post three days before Noelia Voigt’s withdrawal. Not without scratching the American beauty pageant. In a press release published on Instagram, Claudia Michelle evokes a climate of “toxicity and bullying in the workplace” and claims that Miss USA and Miss Teen USA “should be heard, not silenced”. A funny echo of the possible hidden message of Miss USA.

“I have had the privilege of working closely with Noelia and have unfortunately noticed a decline in her mental health since our first meeting”, she also affirmed, before the resignation of Noelia Voigt. Allegations since deemed false by the organization of the competition, but which become much more credible after these two surprise withdrawals.

Aware of the crisis caused by these sudden departures, the organization of the competition assured that in the future it would give “ prioritizing the well-being of everyone involved in Miss USA “. But the situation is unprecedented because the resignation of Noelia Voigt is almost an exception in the world of American misses. As pointed out West Francethis is the first time in the history of the American pageant that a miss has resigned for a reason other than a victory at Miss Universe.

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