After Miss USA Noelia Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava gave up their pageant titles—and the runner-up for Miss Teen USA said ‘no thanks’ to being crowned—the mothers of the two winners are speaking out.
Why not Miss USA and Miss Teen?
Apparently, they are bound by non-disclosure agreements. All we have is their cryptic social media posts. On Instagram, UmaSofia Srivastava said her values “no longer aligned” with those of the organization, while Noelia Voigt cited her mental health.
Saying their girls ‘were ill-treated, abused, bullied and cornered’ they warned other parents about the dangers.
“The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare,” Barbara Srivastava said on Good Morning America on Tuesday, sitting alongside Jackeline Voigt. “We could not continue this charade. The girls decided to step down and give (up) their dream of a lifetime — a crown, a national title. Why would two girls decide to give that up?”
Listen up, pageant world. Maybe it’s time to end this competition for good?