Miss Iceland 2015 Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir was entered in a Las Vegas beauty pageant and subsequently quit after being told by the owner that she should skip meals if she wanted to win, according to the Iceland Monitor.
Jónsdóttir told the Icelandic publication that spokespeople for Thai TV presenter Nawat Itsaragrisil, who owns and runs the Miss Grand International beauty contest, sent her a message saying:
“Stop eating breakfast, eat just salad for lunch and drink water every evening until the contest. [The owner] is telling you this because he likes you and wants you to do well in this contest.”
After receiving the message, the 20-year-old former gymnast quit the competition.
In regards to her decision, Jónsdóttir told the Iceland Monitor that “if the owner of the contest really wants me to lose weight and doesn’t like me the way I am, then he doesn’t deserve to have me... Yes, my shoulders are a bit broader than the other girls, but that is because I was a member of the Icelandic national athletics team and I am proud of that.”
Um... Is that not body positivity goals or what?
The beauty queen went on to say that she doesn’t “take these comments to heart” and she believe’s she’s fine as she is.
Hear, hear!
As for the pageant, Miss Grand International is one of the world’s five major international beauty pageants and its objective is to unite countries all over the globe to “make a stand for the betterment of humanity.”
Jónsdóttir has been extremely active on social media since the departure from the contest, posting body positive posts like these:
She’s also posted a note on Facebook, telling fans that she “intend[s] to stand up for myself, [for] women everywhere and the Icelandic people. I will not let them tell me I am too fat to look good on stage. I have quit. I will not be taking part in Miss Grand International.”
She’s also reportedly sent a letter to the owner of the contest telling him “how ridiculous his message was and advised him that if he wants to hold an international beauty contest, he needs to learn to appreciate international beauty.”
You’re forever a winner in our book, Arna.
The Huffington Post reached out to a number of individuals affiliated with the Miss Grand International beauty contest but did not hear back at the time of publication.
H/T Cosmopolitan
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