This year’s Miss Universe in Thailand was marred by a ‘candidate revolt, with accusations of insulting a beauty queen’s intelligence, the abandonment of contestants and a final cry of anger from the host. The Mexican Miss, Fatima Bosch, – in an evening dress and high heels – indignantly left a live streaming broadcast in which she was criticized by presenter Nawat Itsaragrisil.
Nawat appeared to target Miss Mexico as “stupid” for not posting enough promotional content on her social media. He then denied using that term. The shocked Bosch responded with a dramatic exit, followed by Miss Iraq, who wore a floor-length dress studded with jewels, while other beauty queens stood up in solidarity.
“What your director did was disrespectful: He called me stupid,” Bosch told a group of reporters. “The world needs to see this because we are empowered women and this is a platform to make our voices heard.”
The episode – which dates back to recent days but whose video has gone viral in the last few hours – had also provoked a reaction from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who stated that the Miss representing Mexico, Bosch, had given “an example of how we women should make our voices heard”. “At public events, I say that women are more beautiful when they make their voices heard,” Sheinbaum said, “so this young woman deserves my recognition.”