Damaging

On the eve of the 74th Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, an unexpected confrontation exposed the tense power dynamics behind the glamour. During a closed-door session, Fátima Bosch, Mexico’s representative, was publicly insulted by Nawat Itsaragrisil, the director of Miss Universe Thailand, who then ordered security to remove her from the room. The incident triggered a rare moment of collective resistance as several contestants stood in solidarity with Bosch, challenging the atmosphere of intimidation imposed by pageant leadership. This encounter, however, was more than a single clash of personalities; it revealed long-standing structural problems within the global beauty pageant system.

First, the power dynamics displayed during the incident with Nawat Itsaragrisil reveal how contestants are routinely positioned as subjects rather than agents. The director’s ability to insult Bosch publicly and threaten her with security demonstrates the imbalance between the institution and the women who participate in it. His demand that contestants stay seated underscores how obedience and silence are rewarded, while dissent is punished. This dynamic exemplifies the patriarchal control that beauty pageants often exert over women’s bodies, voices, and behavior.

Second, the public controversy that followed Bosch’s win exposes another damaging characteristic of beauty pageants: women’s achievements become instantly delegitimized. The scrutiny Bosch faces, including speculation about corruption and expectations that she justify her victory, illustrates how beauty contests encourage constant comparison, criticism, and suspicion toward female competitors. Instead of celebrating her accomplishments, audiences and commentators questioned whether she deserved the crown, reinforcing the idea that women must continually prove their worth in ways male leaders or celebrities are rarely required to.

Additionally, beauty pageants foster unrealistic and exclusionary standards of beauty. Even as modern pageants attempt to promote inclusivity, they continue to rank women according to appearance, demeanor, and performance; criteria deeply rooted in patriarchal traditions. Nonetheless, these competitions can trigger or worsen issues such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, especially among younger audiences who internalize the message that beauty equates to value.

Moreover, this controversy highlights a troubling paradox: in many countries, especially those where women lack political representation, the pageant stage becomes one of the few platforms where women can gain visibility or advocate for social causes. This creates a contradicting and harmful scenario: women must first conform to beauty standards shaped by male-dominated institutions in order to later challenge those very structures. It is very problematic that a woman’s voice is amplified only after her appearance has been validated by a global beauty competition.

Finally, the association of the pageant with political and economic scandals reveals another layer of systemic harm. Women like Bosch often become entangled in narratives shaped entirely by powerful men, institutions, and media outlets. Although she had no involvement in the financial or criminal allegations surrounding stakeholders of the pageant, the scandal overshadowed her achievements and placed an unfair burden on her to address issues far beyond her control. Beauty pageants, in this sense, not only objectify women physically but also instrumentalize their public image for the benefit, or protection, of larger political and corporate interests.

Ultimately, the controversy surrounding Fátima Bosch is not merely about individual misconduct or disputed results. It exposes a system in which women’s value is filtered through appearance, obedience, and institutional interests. Critique should not fall on the women who participate, many of whom use the platform to advocate for meaningful causes, but on the structures that elevate their voices only when they conform to established norms. Until those structures are challenged, beauty pageants will continue to reproduce the very inequalities they claim to overcome.