This is awful.
Miss Iceland, Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir, quit an international beauty pageant this week after being told to lose weight because she was “too fat”. She walked out of the competition which was being held in Las Vegas and penned a powerful to the organisers who told her to lose weight.
In the letter she said:
“I am a very strong woman, but sometimes my strength isn’t enough.
Your staff told me that I had to loose weight for the finals because I have too much fat on me and also to big shoulders [sic]. They told me to eat less and then you would like me more.”
She also added:
“In my country my body shape is perfect. And that’s what I’m gonna remember. No one will ever tell me anything else.
“I truly hope that the organisation opens their eyes because the year is 2016 and if you are gonna hold an international pageant you have to be able to see the international beauty.”
Here is her full letter:
People have been praising her for speaking out and highlighting the issue.
Miss Iceland is great and I hope this starts a revolution because pageants are dumb and set women up for disappointment.
— Hayley Cox (@hayley_cox22) October 25, 2016
Yay for Miss Iceland! She looks stunningly beautiful to me, on the inside and outside!
— Tanya (@DutchDelights13) October 26, 2016
Miss Iceland is beautiful and perfect the way she is, why are they calling her fat her own pageant Telling her only to drink water is sick,
— Shadow (@shadowmusics) October 26, 2016
According to CNN, the president of Miss Grand International Organization, Nawat Itsaragrisil, made this statement on the matter:
“This is a normal process for the three weeks during the pageant, everyone should show their improvement.
“Similarly the staff give the same advice for others who asked what should they do to improve in order to win.”
