Miss Teen USA Is Already Facing MAJOR Backlash for This Cringe-Worthy Faux Pas
It’s been just under 24 hours since Karlie Hay was named Miss Teen USA (which was recently praised for eliminating its swimwear competition), but already the teen has found herself in some MAJOR hot water.
The drams began when Chrissy Teigen took time from working on her next diet-free cookbook to point out the sincere lack of diversity among the competition’s final contestants.
Wow how can we choose from such a diverse bunch https://t.co/0a4JHbP465
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) July 31, 2016
She wasn’t wrong — the final five included five smiling blondes with not so much as a redhead or a brunette in sight, let alone an actual woman of color.
Chrissy wasn’t riled up enough to fight about it, as she explained in her subsequent tweet.
It's fiiiiiine. Not their fault. I'm sure they are delightful women. Just funny. I'm not gonna write a think-piece on a damn pageant.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) July 31, 2016
Someone else, however, WAS, when they pulled up old tweets from Karlie Hays’s Twitter account, which included some, shall we say, not so queen-like language.
The snafu was enough to get former Miss Teen USA herself, Miss Kamie Crawford, involved, when she tweeted the following.
I can take the #missteenusa top 5 being an all white, all blonde top 5. What I can't take is – why didn't the winner clean up her page? 🤔🤔🤔
— Kamie Crawford (@TheRealKamie) July 31, 2016
Kamie’s Twitter has since all but been taken over by the scandal.
As for Karlie, the teen took it upon herself to address the issue head on.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Karlie Denise Hay (@karlie.hay) on
Posting a picture of herself with the group post-crowning, she writes as follows: “Several years ago I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person. I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for. Through hard work, education and largely in part to the sisterhood I have come to know through pageants, I am proud to say that today I am a better person. I am honored to hold this title and I will use this platform to promote the values of The Miss Universe Organization, and my own, that recognize the confidence, beauty and perseverance of all women.”
The company, for its part, is standing behind its choice, releasing a statement to E! news, which reads: “The language Karlie used is unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of the The Miss Universe Organization. As Karlie stated, she was in a different place in her life and made a serious mistake she regrets and for which she sincerely apologizes. Karlie learned many lessons through those personal struggles that reshaped her life and values. We as an organization are committed to supporting her continued growth.”
Wow. That’s a lot to take in in such a short span of time! Hopefully Karlie learned her lesson and it’s all uphill from here for all involved.
Do you think Karlie should’ve been stripped of her crown? Tell us over @BritandCo!
(h/t E!, photos via Ethan Miller + Frazer Harrison/Getty)
