Miss USA candidates support Noelia Voigt and call for transparency from the organization
Miss USA contestants are demanding transparency from the organization as Miss USA 2023 Noelia Voigt announces she would relinquish her crown, citing mental health issues.
Dozens of candidates showed solidarity by posting a joint statement on their social media accounts. It reads: “The majority of the Miss USA 2023 class supports Noelia Voigt’s decision to step down as Miss USA. Prioritizing mental health is of the utmost importance, and we support it.”
The statement continued: “We are asking the Miss USA Organization to release Noelia from the NDA confidentiality clause in her contract, in perpetuity, so that she is free to speak about her experiences and her time as Miss USA. We request a response within 24 hours.
“Our goal is to give Noelia back her voice. We demand full transparency for candidates in the class of 2024 and beyond.”
USA TODAY has contacted the Miss USA Organization for comment.
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The message came hours after UmaSofia Srivastava, Miss Teen USA 2023, also announced her resignation, citing the fact that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization.”
In response, Miss USA CEO and President Laylah Rose said Wednesday in a statement shared with USA TODAY: “From the beginning, my personal goal as the leader of this organization has been to inspire women to always create new dreams, to have the courage to explore. all of this, and I continue to maintain my integrity throughout the process. I hold myself to these same high standards and take these allegations seriously. »
The statement continued: “Please be assured that the well-being of everyone associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”
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Following Voigt’s post, social media users noticed that the first letter of each sentence in his statement revealed the phrase “I AM SILENCE.”
Alexis Loomans (Miss Wisconsin USA) – who was the second runner-up for the Miss USA title – Caroline Dixon (Miss Florida USA), Rachelle Di Stasio (Miss New York USA), Mackenzie Schutt (Miss Ohio USA), Jordyn McKey (Miss North Carolina USA), Monni Nyaribo (Miss North Dakota USA) and Madyson Rigg (Miss Montana USA) are among those who expressed their support by posting the graphic on social media.
“Everyone deserves a chance to express themselves,” Dixon wrote in her new Instagram Story post.
McKey wrote a lengthy caption alongside the statement, which she shared on both her personal account and the official @missncusa account.
“I’M WITH HER! As someone who has struggled with her own mental health, I commend Noelia for putting herself first and setting a great example that your health is paramount to anything else “I am deeply saddened by the lack of transparency from the Miss USA organization and pray that we see changes soon,” McKey wrote.
“We recently lost a Miss USA, who wore the same state on her chest as I do now and I take it very seriously to advocate for the use of your voice and the feeling of power/safety to do so. It is “Of the utmost importance to me, I want to be open and honest because it can potentially help save other people in the process,” she continued. “We cannot silence a woman who has experienced what our next class of Miss USA contestants will find themselves in. This must be done.”
In 2022, the winner of Miss USA 2019, Cheslie Kryst, former Miss North Carolina USA, committed suicide at age 30.
McKey’s message concluded: “I am so proud to be a woman in pageantry, and I pray for the day when my morals and beliefs once again align with the organization and the origin of reason which I started competing for in the first place. I defend transparency and I want to hear it spoken, it could save lives.”
Rigg captioned the same graphic with a message that read in part: “Today we stand united, a little scared, very emotional, and knowing full well that we have the capacity to be the changemakers that our system always claimed to want.” to give power. @missusa @missuniverse, the decision is in your hands. Do what is right.
In a statement shared with USA TODAY earlier this week in response to Voigt’s resignation, the entity said: “We respect and support former Miss USA Noelia Voigt’s decision to resign from her position. The well-being of our title holders is a top priority. and we understand her need to prioritize herself at this time.”
The statement continued: “The organization is currently reviewing plans for the transfer of responsibilities to a successor and an announcement regarding the crowning of the new Miss USA will be available soon.”
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