“I am being silenced. » Customary for controversies, the Miss USA competition resurfaces following a series of resignations. Indeed, the 2023 winners of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA returned their crowns this week citing their “mental health”. In response, an American beauty pageant manager denounced a “toxic” work environment before she too jumped ship.
It all started on May 3, when the organization’s head of social media, Claudia Michelle, announced her departure in a long message on Instagram. She cites Noelia Voigt, crowned Miss USA 2023 at the age of 24, and her compatriot Uma Sofia Srivastava, elected Miss Teen USA 2023 at 17 years old.
She refuses to “keep silent”
“I had the privilege of working closely with Noelia and I have unfortunately noticed an attack on her mental health since our first meeting,” denounces the community manager. “I was also at the forefront to witness the lack of respect towards Uma and her family,” she continues, warning that “the mental health and happiness of Noelia and Uma have taken a hit. blow” and refusing to “keep silent”.
In this same post, Claudia Michelle disavows “toxicity and intimidation in all its forms in the workplace” and points out the “unprofessional and inadequate” way in which “current management talks about the winners”. The resigning leader recalls that “without [ces jeunes femmes] there is no Miss USA or Miss Teen USA” and that “their voices and stories must be listened to and not silenced.”
“Never jeopardize your physical and mental well-being”
In reaction, Noelia Voigt announced that she was relinquishing her title, citing the decline in her mental health. “I realize the shock this may represent for many. Never jeopardize your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth (…) Prioritize your mental health, defend yourself and others by speaking out without ever being afraid of what the future holds for you. »
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And on Wednesday, it was her sister and youngest sister Uma Sofia Srivastava who joined the fight: “I decided to resign because my personal values no longer fully correspond to those of the management of the Miss USA organization.”
Coded message
The controversy continues to swell because for several days, Internet users have believed they detected a coded message in the first letter of the first 11 sentences of Noelia’s Instagram post. Post, which after analysis, would reveal the phrase “I am silenced”, “I am silenced”, revealed the American TV channel NBC. Shows that Taylor Swift is not the only one to encrypt her messages.