Ms. Voigt faced challenges upon returning to the United States after winning the title of Miss USA. Despite expectations of a $100,000 salary, luxury car, and apartment in Los Angeles, only the salary was guaranteed in her contract. After being promised a new apartment that never materialized, she ended up staying with friends and family until Miss USA provided her with a car and a place to live in Miami in March. However, these issues took a toll on her mental health, leading to anxiety and medication use. She also detailed an incident of sexual harassment during a Christmas parade, which she claimed the organization failed to support her in reporting.
In her resignation letter, Ms. Voigt cited these issues as well as the lack of timely provision of the promised apartment and car as reasons for her resignation from the Miss USA organization. Despite this, Sarah Rose, the president of the organization, denied the accusations in a 10-page letter, calling it a “smear campaign” against the organization. She claimed to have discussed the incident at the Christmas parade with Ms. Voigt immediately after being made aware of it, and that Ms. Voigt indicated she did not want to seek redress for it.
Furthermore, tensions between Miss Teen USA, Ms. Srivastava, and the Miss USA organization, particularly with Sarah Rose, were also highlighted. Ms. Srivastava’s mother described Ms. Rose as abrasive in communication with her daughter, who was 16 at the time. While Ms. Rose defended her communication style as “professional and appropriate,” Ms. Srivastava declined to comment due to a nondisclosure agreement. These additional tensions within the organization added to the existing issues surrounding Ms. Voigt’s resignation and the allegations she raised.
Overall, the Miss USA organization faced backlash and controversy following the resignation of Ms. Voigt and the allegations of mistreatment and lack of support. The discrepancies between the promised prizes for the titleholders and the actual provisions, as well as the handling of incidents like the sexual harassment at the Christmas parade, raised concerns about the organization’s treatment of its winners. The responses from Ms. Rose, denying the accusations and accusing Ms. Voigt of a smear campaign, further fueled the controversy and highlighted the internal tensions within the organization, as seen through the interactions with Miss Teen USA, Ms. Srivastava and her mother.
These events shed light on the challenges and pressures faced by titleholders in beauty pageants, as well as the importance of organizations providing adequate support and fulfilling their commitments. The impact on the mental health of these young women, as seen through Ms. Voigt’s struggles with anxiety and medication use, underscores the need for proper care and consideration for the well-being of pageant winners. Moving forward, the Miss USA organization may need to address these issues and work on improving the support and treatment of its titleholders to prevent further controversies and resignations in the future.
