Miss Universe first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina has broken her silence over the controversial comment made by the beauty pageant’s CEO.
Executive director Anne Jakrajutatip raised eyebrows when asked how the pageant was taking “strategic steps” to evolve after Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig was crowned the new Miss Universe.
‘Evolution? We have blonde and blue eyes, so we are already reaching the final evolution,” responded Anne, a Thai businesswoman and the first transgender woman to hold the Miss Universe pageant.
‘We don’t need more evolution here. Here we already have the best.”
Her response sparked an avalanche of backlash as pageant fans flocked to social media to criticize the CEO for her “shocking” comments.
However, while the world was stunned by the beauty queen mogul’s words, Chidimma, who was the first Miss Nigeria to secure a place in the top five, remained indifferent.
while talking to Insider business informationChidimma revealed that she “wasn’t really offended” by the comments before sharing her opinion on Donald Trump Jr.’s comments.
Miss Universe first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina has broken her silence on the CEO’s controversial comment about ‘blond hair’ and ‘blue eyes’
She told the outlet, “I’m not really offended by it.” Maybe that’s just your perspective; maybe that’s how she felt about the evolution of Miss Universe.’
But he did take issue with comments Donald Jr. made online after Victoria’s victory.
The sitting president’s son said: ‘Biologically and objectively attractive women are allowed to win beauty pageants again. WE ARE BACK!!!’
Chidimma noted that she was disappointed when reading the comments to her comments.
“All the queens that were crowned are so beautiful in their different ways, so by making a comment like that, I feel like I was ignoring all the past queens,” she said.
“I can understand why people didn’t really like a comment like that and why it caused a stir on social media.”
The CEO’s response was published in a clip on the Instagram account. @roadtomissusawhich sparked a huge response from fans.
Victoria, who was crowned Miss Universe Denmark in September, is an animal rights activist and has spoken openly about her personal experiences with abuse.
On Saturday, after Denmark’s Victoria Kjær Theilvig was crowned the new Miss Universe, CEO Anne Jakrajutatip joined her at a press conference.
During a press conference, a journalist had asked Anne about the ‘strategic steps’ they were taking regarding the evolution of beauty pageants.
The CEO responded: ‘Evolution? We have blonde and blue eyes, so we are already reaching the definitive evolution.’
After the CEO made her statement about the ‘latest evolution’, many Miss Universe fans were unimpressed and took to social media to express their thoughts.
‘The executive director of Miss Universe is a weirdo because what do you mean evolution is blonde and blue-eyed?’ one person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Someone else agreed: “For the CEO of Miss Universe to boldly say that blonde hair and blue eyes is the standard is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow,” someone else agreed.
“The comments from the CEO of Miss Universe are so shocking,” wrote another on the platform.
The conversation also continued in the comments section of the Instagram post made by @roadtomissusa, where some seemed to side with Anne and others strongly disagreed.
“This is beyond vulgar,” one user commented on Instagram. ‘I don’t think I can watch Miss United States or Miss Universe anymore.
‘Their leaders are ruining these shows. They are insensitive, greedy, they do not care about the production of the pageant or the needs of the contestants. I can’t stand this nonsense.’
Another person agreed: ‘Stop giving them your money.’ Go where you’re welcome and it’s clearly not there. Better ways to invest your time, money, heart, talents and intelligence!’
Theilvig, who was crowned Miss Universe Denmark in September, is an animal rights activist and has spoken openly about her personal experiences with abuse.
The post also included an X-rated comment from Donald Trump’s son, Don Jr., that he made after Saturday’s victory.
‘I’m all for empowering blondes because we’d be lying if we said they’ve been adequately rewarded for stellar performances over the last few years within this organization, but the fine line between empowerment and outright racism is somehow fading.’ wrote one Instagram user.
Someone else simply wrote: ‘Ouch! Just ouch!
However, other fans revealed that there was nothing wrong with the comment and rushed to Anne’s defense.
‘It’s evolutionary because the last blonde was in 2004… there to know that we had everything on the spectrum. I love the new Miss Universe,’ someone wrote.
One person admitted: “The Trump era was the best and we want him to come back.”
In addition to posting Donald Jr.’s X post and Anne’s video, the pageantry news account also weighed in on the matter.
“The troubling statements from the director and CEO, combined with the poor production quality and execution of ideas, suggest that the organization is more focused on drawing attention to themselves rather than elevating and empowering women,” she wrote in split the account.
DailyMail.com has contacted the contest organization for comment.
The conversation also continued in the comments section of the Instagram post made by @roadtomissusa, where some seemed to side with Anne and others strongly disagreed.
This is not the first comment about Miss Universe competitors that Anne has made since she became executive director of the organization.
In June, the CEO said that “trans women, married women and divorced women” can compete in the beauty pageant but can’t win, in a dramatic leaked video posted by Vox.
Footage from a board meeting last November shows the CEO making bold statements about how diversity improves the image of the competition, but in the end women from these backgrounds would not be successful in the end.
‘Trans women, women with husbands, divorced women… This is a communication strategy, because, you understand… they can compete but they can’t win. We simply published the policy. Social inclusion, as people would say,’ he said.