The mothers also warned other young women about competing in pageants.
In an appearance on “Good Morning America” Tuesday, the mothers of last year’s Miss USA and Miss Teen USA winners said their daughters had been bullied by the organization’s management.
The revelation comes about a week after the two pageant winners resigned from their titles. Miss USA, Noelia Voigt, said on social media last week that she was stepping down from her title due to her mental health. Shortly after, Miss Teen USA, Umasofia Srivastava, followed suit, saying that her personal values didn’t align with Miss USA anymore.
“The job of their dreams turned out to be a nightmare,” Barbara Srivastava, the teenager’s mother, told “Good Morning America.”
Barbara Srivastava said her daughter was bullied by management and her personal social media was being surveilled.
“It’s about how they were ill treated: abused, bullied and cornered,” Barbara Srivastava said.
After Voigt posted her resignation announcement on social media, people pointed out that the first letter of every sentence spelled out “I am silenced.” Jackeline Voigt, Noelia Voigt’s mother, said she wasn’t comfortable confirming or denying whether that was on purpose, but said her daughter has been silenced and “will be the rest of her life” if her NDA isn’t lifted.
In Noelia Voigt’s resignation letter to Miss USA, obtained by “Good Morning America,” she said that she was made to feel unsafe without a handler, which led to her being sexually harassed. She also said she received unwanted advances from a man at a Christmas parade. Jackeline Voigt told “GMA” that the advance made her daughter “very, very uncomfortable.”
According to Noelia Voigt’s resignation letter, Laylah Rose, the president of the Miss USA organization, told her that she could not prevent people from saying things to her.
The Miss USA organization did not immediately return a request for comment, but told “GMA” that it is “committed to fostering a healthy, communicative and supportive environment for all contestants.”
Jackeline Voigt and Barbara Srivastava said they believe women should stop competing in pageants because they don’t want them to go through what their daughters did.
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