Sun Nov 17 20:20:52 UTC 2024: **Danish Woman Crowned Miss Universe 2023; Pageant’s Controversial History Revealed**
San Juan, Puerto Rico – Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark made history on November 17th, becoming the first Danish woman to win the Miss Universe crown at the 73rd annual pageant. The win marks a significant moment for Denmark, while India’s Rhea Singha did not make it to the top 12. The last Indian to win was Harnaaz Sandhu in 2021.
The pageant itself has a fascinating and occasionally controversial history. While beauty pageants have existed for centuries, the modern large-scale events emerged in the early 20th century in the USA. The Miss Universe competition originated from a dispute between Miss America’s 1951 winner and sponsor Pacific Knitting Mills, after the winner refused to wear a swimsuit for promotional photos. This led Pacific Knitting Mills to support rival pageants, including Miss Universe.
Former US President Donald Trump owned Miss Universe from 1996 to 2015, a period marked by controversy. His controversial remarks about Mexican immigrants led to NBC severing ties with him, resulting in a brief period of sole ownership before he sold the organization. Accusations of sexist behavior during his tenure have also surfaced.
Currently, the Miss Universe Organization is owned jointly by the Thai conglomerate JKN Global Group and Legacy Holding Group USA Inc. JKN Global’s Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, the first transgender woman to own a major beauty pageant, introduced significant changes, including allowing mothers and married women to compete. However, JKN Global’s recent bankruptcy filing led to a restructuring of ownership, with Legacy Holding acquiring a share. The Miss Universe Organization continues to operate despite this financial upheaval. The unrelated resignation of an Indian politician, cited as being due to political pressures, was also reported.
First Piper 