Following allegations of sexual assault by numerous participants just days before the pageant’s crowning ceremony in Jakarta, the Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) severed ties with its Indonesian affiliate.
Finalists reportedly received an unexpected request to strip off in order to “check for scars and cellulite,” and several said they were shot topless.
According to the US-based MUO, it was evident that the franchise had not upheld its brand values, ethics, or expectations.
The claims are being looked into by Jakarta police.
The same organisation, PT Capella Swastika Karya, which is in charge of this year’s pageant in Malaysia, also announced that it was cancelling it.
The Miss Universe Organisation appreciated the brave women who bravely filed the complaints and reaffirmed that its first objective was “providing a safe place for women.”
There were no measurement or body dimensions restrictions to participate in its pageants worldwide, the organisation claimed, adding that it was reviewing its policies and processes to prevent similar situations.
“In light of what we have learned took place at Miss Universe Indonesia, it has become clear that this franchise has not lived up to our brand standards, ethics, or expectations,” MUO stated in a statement on Saturday night.
In South-east Asia, particularly in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, where victors go on to become superstars and social media influencers, Miss Universe, which is currently in its 73rd edition, is well-liked.
The brand has been redesigned to be more inclusive by allowing married women, transgender women, and single mothers to participate, according to its owner Anne Jakrajutatip, a Thai transgender woman and media magnate.
The franchise director for Indonesia, Poppy Capella, claimed on Instagram that she had “never known, ordered, requested, or allowed anyone who played a role and participated in the process of organising Miss Universe Indonesia 2023 to commit violence or sexual harassment through body checking”.
Additionally, she declared that she opposed “any form of violence or sexual harassment.”
The group will support Indonesia’s Ms. Fabienne Nicole Groeneveld as she competes to represent her nation at the 2023 Miss Universe finals in November, according to MUO.