Married women and mothers need not apply, and that's not the only controversy associated with
the Miss USA beauty pageant. Did this contestant really have the contest rigged in her favor?
For years, the Miss USA pageant's strict requirements excluded women for arguably
unfair reasons. Historically, these requirements resulted in a lack of
diversity among contestants. One of the most shocking requirements could be found right
on the pageant's website until recent years. The site's FAQ page previously read in part:
"No, contestants may not be married or pregnant. They must not have ever been
married, not had a marriage annulled nor given birth to, or parented,
a child. The titleholders are also required to remain single throughout their reign."
Finally, the Miss Universe Organization announced in August 2022 that it would permit mothers and
married women to compete starting with the 72nd pageant in 2023. Although Miss
USA pageants have revisited these requirements, this doesn't change its discriminatory history.
According to The Washington Post, these pageants even excluded women of color
in the past. The first Black Miss USA, Carole Gist, wasn't crowned until 1990 — a whole 38
years after the first Miss USA pageant took place! The competition has become
somewhat more racially inclusive in recent years, as reported by The New York Times.
Miss USA contestants have to deal with the pressure of maintaining
a squeaky-clean image. Tara Conner, who received the title of Miss USA in 2006,
faced backlash after she failed to maintain this perfect image. According to People, Conner risked
losing her title after it was revealed that she had been using drugs and drinking while underage.
Soon after the scandal came to light, Conner checked into a rehabilitation
facility to receive treatment for her substance use. The following month,
she opened up to People about the extent of her experimental drug use.
"It's hard to look back at that. I was an
equal-opportunity [user] — I would try anything once."
The runner-up for Miss USA 2006 Tamiko Nash would have taken over Conner's
title if it was determined she was no longer eligible. Nash revealed how she
felt about her competition getting a second opportunity. She told ABC News,
"If I were in this situation,
I myself would want the benefit of the doubt. I would want a second chance."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump became co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization
in 1996. He moved on from the company in 2015, but only after numerous allegations of his reportedly
inappropriate behavior towards contestants came to light. Miss Teen USA is affiliated with the
Miss Universe Organization, and a number of former teen contestants came forward to
claim that Trump had inappropriate interactions with them as well, as reported by BuzzFeed News.
Former Miss Vermont Teen USA Mariah Billado, for example, claimed that the businessman walked in
on contestants in their shared dressing room. She told BuzzFeed News in 2016,
"I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like,
'Oh my god, there's a man in here."
She claimed that he then said,
"'Don't worry, ladies, I've seen it all before.'"
Trump himself seemed to detail similar instances during an interview on "The
Howard Stern Show" back in 2005. He told Stern,
"Well, I'll tell you the funniest is that before a show, I'll go backstage and
everyone's getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere,
and I'm allowed to go in because I'm the owner of the pageant and therefore I'm inspecting it."
The 2022 Miss USA pageant was at the center of controversy after Miss Montana Heather
Lee O'Keefe took to social media to reveal that she and other contestants believed the
competition was rigged. While Miss Texas R'Bonney Gabriel took home the crown,
O'Keefe explained that she felt the win was preplanned, saying,
"Most of the Miss USA contestants feel very strongly that there was favoritism
towards Miss Texas USA, and we have the receipts to prove it."
Miss New York Heather Nunez chimed into the
conversation via Instagram Stories, writing in part,
"The way I entered this pageant and gave it every last bit of my heart
and soul... We were humiliated, thinking we entered something with a fair chance."
In a separate video, O'Keefe pointed out that Gabriel received services from NIZUC Spa,
which is affiliated with Miss USA sponsor Mia Beauté, in July 2022. According to the
Miss USA website, the pageant winner receives complementary services from
Mia Beauté as part of their prize package; however, O'Keefe alleged
that Gabriel visited the company's spa before she was even crowned Miss USA that October,
which she suggested was proof the winner was chosen in advance. Another former contestant,
Jasmine Jones, shared a series of TikTok videos in which she claimed that competitors seemed
uninterested after Gabriel was announced as the new Miss USA, further alleging that this showcased
how something seemed off with the pageant. Gabriel had her own response to the allegations,
"It was not rigged whatsoever. I didn't have an unfair advantage or knew that I was going to win."
The Miss USA Organization likewise denied the rigging allegations.
In January 2022, it was revealed that former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst died by suicide after she fell
from a high-rise building in New York City. The 2019 beauty queen's tragic death sparked
conversations about mental health among beauty pageant contestants after her mother came forward
to reveal she had been dealing with depression. Her mother April Simpkins said in a statement,
"Cheslie led both a public and a private life. In her private life,
she was dealing with high-functioning depression which she hid from everyone — including me,
her closest confidant — until very shortly before her death."
Simpkins had more to say during an appearance on "Red Table Talk" that
May. Speaking about Kryst's past suicide attempts, she revealed,
"It was after that first attempt that she and I grew very close,
and I wanted her to feel comfortable calling me."
Simpkins also spoke about her late daughter's high-functioning depression.
"Depression is not always marked by someone laying in bed or unable to do things. You know,
there are people who are high functioning who can get through the day 'cause they wear the face,
and we all are taught to wear that face. And Cheslie wore the face."