New Miss Universe Victoria Kjaer Theilvig is facing intense criticism after a TikTok video showed her making racist comments.
Theilvig, who represents Denmark, won the 73rd Miss Universe title on November 16 in Mexico City, where she competed against 120 other beauty pageant hopefuls.
Her selection as the winner was seen as a victory for the ‘anti-woke’ after the 2023 competition featured married, plus-size and transgender participants.
In a video posted from the Empire State Building, the Danish pageant star sang along to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” which features the N-word.
Social media users were quick to condemn Theilvig’s use of the slur and called for her to apologize and be stripped of her title.
“Runner up, it’s your turn, this one is DONE,” said one disgusted user.
“Trying to take the cake with that omg,” said another, shocked that she would have the audacity to present the Miss Universe organization in such a way.
“I feel like she should be decrowned, an apology is not enough,” said TikTok user Majin Mo, who made a video wondering whether Theilvig would apologize at all.
Newly crowned Miss Universe Victoria Kjaer Theilvig is facing heavy criticism after a TikTok video of her using the N-word surfaced
Theilvig, who represents Denmark, won the 73rd Miss Universe title in Mexico City on November 16, where she competed against 120 other beauty pageant hopefuls
The Miss Universe organization and Theilvig herself have yet to publicly discuss the controversy.
Some speculate that the incident could go unpunished given previous statements by CEO Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, the first trans woman to fully own the Miss Universe organization, who has expressed controversial views on diversity and inclusion.
Jakrajutatip has previously said in a leaked video that while several women can participate in the pageant, they “can’t win.”
‘The trans women, the women with husbands, divorced women… This is a communication strategy because, you see… they can compete, but they can’t win. We simply put the policy on the table. Social inclusion, as people would say,” the Thai media mogul said in the video.
Discussing the evolution of the Miss Universe pageant, the CEO recently stated that the competition has already reached its peak, Business Insider reports.
‘Evolution? We have blonde and blue eyes, so we are already reaching the ultimate evolution. We don’t need any further evolution here. We already have the best here,” the controversial CEO said.
This year’s Miss Universe pageant saw a return to tradition, with a cisgender woman taking the crown.
This comes after recent years of increasing inclusivity, including the participation of transgender contestants such as Miss Spain 2018 Angela Ponce and Miss Netherlands 2022 Rikkie Valerie Kolle.
In a video posted from the Empire State Building, Theilvig sang along to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” which included the N-word
The shift towards more traditional Western beauty standards led to a wave of online commentary, with some users expressing surprise and others celebrating the return to ‘normality’.
“BREAKING: Fans shocked after straight, white, biological woman wins Miss Universe 2024,” popular political commentator Matt Wallace wrote to his more than two million followers.
‘Reality just made a comeback! Congratulations, Denmark!’ added another.
‘The tide is turning, the waking virus is on the run. Hold the line,” someone else said.