Miss USA’s mental health crisis: Why the pageant world needs a wake-up call
Miss USA and Miss Teen USA have both stepped down amid allegations of a toxic work environment, sparking a larger conversation about the mental health of pageant participants.
Less than a week after Miss USA 2023 shockingly stepped down, more news is igniting a firestorm in the pageant world and exposing the mental health issues women and girls who participate in the pageant system face.
Both Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, and Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, resigned their titles just days apart, both citing concerns about the organization’s leadership and its impact on their well-being. In an 8-page resignation letter, Voigt detailed a “toxic work environment” with bullying and harassment, further fueling public scrutiny.
Lara Hakamaki, director of corporate development for Michigan Psychological Care, and Miss Congeniality 2023 and 2024 in the Miss Michigan USA pageant, noted that the organization seemingly failed to support Voigt, whose platform was not widely promoted. Hakamaki also said that for those who’ve participated in the Miss USA world, the recent resignations aren’t a total shock.“Noelia had this light about her. You could feel warmth from her and all of a sudden things started turning, or even in her smile you could see that sometimes it just wasn’t shining as bright. You could tell that she was struggling,” she told Reckon.
Two days later, Srivastava announced her own resignation on Instagram, citing that her personal values no longer aligned with the direction of the organization. Adding fuel to the fire, Miss Teen USA 2023 Runner Up Stephanie Skinner revealed to PEOPLE that she declined the crown in lieu of the vacant spot.
Days before, Miss USA’s social media director Claudia Michelle also resigned, alleging that both Voigt and Srivastava had been mistreated.
The Miss USA organization has been riddled with controversy – from alledged rigging to sexual harassment – for years, but the recent resignations leave the public speculating about the conditions surrounding pageantry, and their negative impact on confidence and mental health. Last year, research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Vanderbilt University found that consuming news content about pageants was harmful to the body image of women and adolescent girls, especially when their home state won.
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