A beauty pageant winner was recently stripped of her title, leading to controversy and a lot of heartburn.
The reason for the ‘punishment’ was her ‘inappropriate’ behaviour.
Lucy Maino, who won the Miss Papua New Guinea (PNG) crown, recorded a video of her twerking – dancing in a sexually provocative manner with repeated hip thrusts and shaking of the buttocks – and shared it on TikTok which went viral.
The video, downloaded from her personal account and shared on other social media platforms, went viral and attracted some negative comments.
Many criticized her for ‘vulgar’ dance moves and felt that a ‘role model’ should not indulge in such activities. The pageant committee then ‘released’ her from her duties, according to a report in The Guardian.
“Our core purpose is the empowerment of women. We are a unique pageant-style platform that promotes cultural heritage, traditional values, and sharing through tourism about our country and people,” the committee stated.
That was interpreted as misogyny and enraged a number of observers and netizens, who argued that twerking is an extremely popular dance form. Lucy Maino, they felt, is a woman who is just dancing and having fun.
The United Nations (UN) took to their PNG Facebook page to voice their for Maino.
“While constructive criticism and dissenting views are legitimate, bullying is NEVER acceptable in any form: neither digital nor in person,” the UN said.
A former PNG beauty pageant winner said: “I am sure if a male figure did a TikTok video, we would all be laughing and praising him.”
