Last month, three American beauty queens, including the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA title holders, resigned within days of each other. Publicly, they gave vague explanations — mental-health concerns in one case, in another “personal values no longer” being in alignment with the organization.

The pageant participants are restricted in what they can say about the organization by nondisclosure agreements. On May 10, however, the New York Times published a leaked eight-page resignation letter by Noelia Voigt (Miss USA 2023), citing “a toxic work environment within the Miss USA Organization that, at best, is poor management and, at worst, bullying and harassment.”

Are these complaints representative of the broader beauty pageant culture?

Feminist critics of beauty pageants sometimes complain that the events are sexist. Contestants are judged on how they appear in swimwear and an evening gown, as well as how they perform at interviews.

In the last twelve years, women’s rights activists have had another reason to take offense. Namely, the inclusion of trans-identifying males. This year, Miss Maryland USA, Baily Anne Kennedy, is male. Kennedy will be heading to Los Angeles in August to compete for the title of Miss USA.

As with sports competitions, including males in ostensibly all-female competitions sends the message that men can be better women than women can.