Miss Iceland

Earlier this week, Miss Iceland dropped out of the (Grand International) pageant. She claims that the staff at Miss Grand International of the pageant recommended that she eat less. The pageant was being held in Las Vegas. She decided to drop out, but stayed in the city for a couple more day so she could take in the sights and enjoy the food.

This matters because allegedly the staff told her to starve herself if she wanted the title. No woman should be told to starve themselves for anything. No one should be able to make you feel inferior because of your weight, no matter how high or low it may be. We are all built differently. We wear our weight differently. Clothes fit us differently. It shouldn’t matter.

Do I think she made the right call by dropping out of the pageant? Maybe. She basically had three options. Option A would have been to do as the staff allegedly said and watch what she ate and go on to compete. Option B would have been to compete but ignore what the staff said. The staff could have influenced the judges’ decision. She most likely would not have won. Option C was to withdraw from the competition and explain her reasons behind it.

According to the Miss Grand International President, Nawat Itsaragrisil, she asked the staff about her weight. The staff would tell other girls the same thing if they asked what they needed to do if they wanted to win.

If I was her, I would have went with option B and C. I would have went on to compete, but I would have made it clear to the media what was going on behind the scenes. While this pageant may not be a pageant that many are familiar with, she still would have managed to make waves. I’m sure there are stories from all systems about weight shaming.

I loved this quote from Miss Iceland, Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir: “The year is 2016 and if you are gonna hold an international pageant you have to be able to see the international beauty.”

• penn state berks