MISS UNIVERSE hires Osmel Sousa!

The Miss Universe organization has hired Osmel Sousa, the former president of Miss Universe Venezuela. Miss Universe owner Raul Rocha Cantu has shared this in a recent interview. Sousa's official title is yet to be released, but he is looking forward to his new role within the organization. What are your thoughts on this?

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[lesims]

He said to former national director of France: “your girls are more beautiful than mine, they just don’t want to be miss universe” and I think he’s got a point

[mysticgirl]

If he thinks plastic surgery makes women beautiful, then he would hate the French beauty queens - it's explicitly in Miss France's rules that candidates can't have any work done

[Soper.Nova]

Miss Universe was elevated during IMG Era highlighting women's beauty beyond the physical attributes. With Ann taking over the pageant, prestige was LOST! With Osmel's addition, expect

[wandilemthembu]

As a black person (firstly ) and as an African (secondly), I have so many thoughts:

But let's start where he calls black Venezuelan woman ugly and Colombian women of colour "more beautiful".

To have a "man" who in my objective view is white, have an opinion of what ugly is in the context of black women. Is honestly something that I seethe over, because where does he honestly get the audacity to qualify someone as ugly or as beautiful.

And it's incredibly racist as well (I shouldn't even have to say why, but I'll explain). The fact that he categorically places emphasis on Eurocentric beauty as a standard, that juxtaposed with local authentic black beauty in Venezuela is incredibly damming. Also just consider the history of those communities, their history of oppression, subjugation and exclusion from society.

Even in this current global climate, black Venezuelan and at large Afro Latinas are not seen or heard from. They are not represented at all. (This is why in Colombia there was such momentum in wanting to see Lina win last year against the traditional backdrop of a similar kind of prototype that Colombia is known to offer). I've digressed, back to the hard hitting points/ facts:

So, it's just so incredibly racist that a man who already sees blackness as lesser and therefore our beauty as ugly and especially in context as something to choose and knit pick over (when collectively black beauty is so layered and so diverse)---that process of thought and actioning that out is incredibly marginalising and violent.

Having him be announced as having a role within a platform that's supposed to celebrate diversity in all forms is extremely concerning, especially with his specific tastes and polarising views.

Next I'll get into Colombia:

Saying that Colombian black woman are more beautiful than that of Venezuela is also extremely problematic, because his opinion and view are most probably informed by seeing women who look like for example Andrea Tovar & Valeria Ayos.

Who in black communities and spaces would be considered to be more racially ambiguous (more than they are actually black) and even though generally they are and we can't take that away from them, we most certainly cannot deny that there is privilege in looking as ambiguous as they do.

Girls with their kind of likeness are definitely seen as the standard for black women, they are seen as the peak of black beauty because of how close or rather how desirable their actual features and skin tones are. They definitely cater to more Eurocentric standards and ideas of beauty. Of which a large majority of black women don't look like.

So again it's just so extremely problematic for a 'white' looking man to - first - class beauty in blackness from desirable to ugly (least desirable). Again I don't even need to explain why this is so racist and extremely offensive in regard to a considered lens of global history, white supremacy, colonialism etc.

Categorising black woman or pitting them against each other, where already at global levels/arenas- they already have more odds stacked up against them and more circumstances/ barriers to overcome is incredibly once again damming.

And as an African, I also in the same breath have to worry about African women. Who in spaces of international pageantry are already viewed from tier of contempt or lack of regard for their inherent worth, what they can offer or contribute despite being some of the most competitive and most well rounded delegates year after year. (You guys see the sentiments online year after year or you definitely are witness of hot-picks where African & Caribbean women don't ever make the charts and if they do they don't ever top them, those are the kinds of social ills and unchecked subtly racist attitudes that exits within our pageant bubble).

Where Miss Universe has been guilty and still are of the very contempt that I speak of and just a lack of taking these woman more seriously and looking at them with a bit more intention and objectivity.

Pageants like Miss World and Miss Supranational show us exactly and prove to point, just how unwilling international systems of beauty are when it comes to African women. I mean African women are more likely to garner more placements & excel at finals at the mentioned two then from any other international systems because they (the mentioned two) are more objective and more intentional about having them have space and representation. Even though they too can do allot of work with undoing allot of traditional biases.

They are more intentional about rewarding their preparedness and meriting placements (high placements because they acknowledge that African or Afro descent women have the resumé, they have the skills, the consistency and the required grit as often is displayed when they compete).

Whereas Miss Universe for example hasn't been so forthcoming because it is incredibly political (things like sash factor exist).

And I'm speaking as South African where my country has been decorated and often been the only African country at large (or even at most international events ) to receive notable recognition. I know that we prepare our girls to win/ dominate, but SA in my longstanding view isn't the only country in Africa that's doing so (Botswana at MW is an incredible example of this).

I have to worry about our other African queens because if this is the path that Miss Universe is choosing, a path where men who know nothing about women of colour and the richness of their diversity. How can we expect them to lead an organisation premised on women empowerment and inclusivity, when they clearly lack the objectivity to firstly appreciate 'All Women' and are secondly more-so so critical of black women and measure our beauty in their standards.

Everyone else will most likely say, we haven't even seen what the new era will bring. But I'm literally like we all know it's headed down a very trump era like path, a path that is very much coded in superficial glamour, fake advocacies, women who represent the same linear idea of beauty gloabally etc. A destructive path that is all way down to MGIs level. The quality that we just used to seeing from women, won't be the same.

And MGI is literally not the most progressive platform. In fact they're the opposite and are vehemently racist toward all women who aren't Eurocentric or aren't in their considered definition of beauty. ( Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with eurocentric beauty, but imposing that as a global standard for women who don’t fall into that one box is extremely harmful, exclusionary and othering. As has been often the case because little has actually been done to do away with these pervasive and linear ideas of beauty).

I mean we all see it, we see it at MGI where extremely competitive black queens coming regional powerhouses like Nigeria in recent years not being fairly judged/ merited or represented. Only ending up at minimum top 20 and at max (and that maximum is intentional) a top ten position. At Miss Universe last year we literally hailed and celebrated three African countries placing all at once since 2003, but none of those girls made it into top 10 despite battling it out on stage. Firstly why isnt more then one african country placing not a norm more frequently, and why does our collective visibility often always have to happen after a period of more then 15 years. Its just so ridiculous and I absolutely refuse to believe the old age trope that ‘African girls arent prepared, aren’t or haven’t been as well rounded, when the facts are they always are simply viewed as an afterthought. And this is what MU itself is guilty of normalising.

There's just so much to worry about, unpack critically and concern ourselves over and I know allot people won't care, because don't they see Africans or black women in the same lime light. It's just sooo disheartening and taxing to know that thats a reality and one that isnt fading away anytime soon. Adding to that dehumanisation - the othering of mothers, married women, plus size ladies, trans women etc, its all so frustrating. All of them steeped in a pool of unworthiness and just being so unappreciated. Discriminated against at best.

[vinasn]

I was waiting for this video. I knew you’d come thru!! Lol!

[frederickseltzerjr]

Wow! To say women who are either shorter in height and/or darker skin tone are "less worthy" than the lighter skin representative ... I'm sorry WTF?!?! And this is supposed to be the "new" Miss Universe that's embracing ALL women.

My mother raised me with this philosophy .. if you are "ugly" on the inside, it does not matter what you look like on the outside because you could be the most beautiful man/woman in the world, but until you see all the beauty in the world, you will always be "ugly" also on the outside.

[spoyledbratt]

Other pageant bloggers didn’t dare mention these scandals but you did and I applaud you. 👏

[AndreDMalan]

I want to start by applauding Osmel's successful track record. No country came close to him in regard to winners AND runners-up, except the US, and I do believe that there WAS a little bias toward American contestants, expecially in the 50s and 60s, where the US clocked most of their wins. Venezuela hardly featured until Osmel showed up. In the 80s and 90s we COULDN'T WAIT to see what gowns Miss Venezuela would be wearing. They were works of art (the girls and the dresses).
HOWEVER
We were blissfully unaware of the underlying politics (racism, prostitution, etc.) We knew that they were prodded and poked and sculptured to perfection, but the rest? No. Knowing what we now know, Aunty Osmel should not be let back into the fold.

[Tuesdayflavor]

Dani this may be the beginning of the end for the organization. Most people view pageants as archaic with no place in today’s world and partnering with someone who represents most of what people don’t like about pageants is basically shooting oneself in the foot. Regression at its finest. They will lose out on sponsorships etc because most companies today want to be good corporate citizens and associating with mysogny is a No No.

[emillion]

What year is this 1981? Is there a concerted effort by the new co-owner to drag MU back into the antiquated and dark side of pageantry? MU has achieved so much towards authentic woman empowerment. Osmel's involvement into MU is a move both regressive and demoralizing.

[cesarcazalli]

I seen a few videos of former MV winners/Contestants and they have said that they were never encouraged to engage in anything "illicit" but they did see/knew that some of the delegates did. Osmel did favor contestants of certain social/economic status or with an European decent as he claimed they were well educated & traveled and unfortunately for long time ppl of white /light skin have been seen as "better" looking and been given priorities, just look at the names of most of the contestants in 80's &90's. I think Osmel has changed/adapted since. He was part of Reality TV Show on which he was asked to be the "evil" person or the Miranda Priestly if you will lol. Love you !!!!

[adrianamelendez]

Who else remembers Osmel from his time as a judge in Nuestra Belleza Latina that aired on Univision? His comments were horrific but it was used as entertainment and a comedic factor at that time.

[missuupdates]

This is horrifying. I still can’t come to accept that this is what MUO has come to. With the history of accusations against Osmel and an accusation Raul’s ex partner Rodrigo Goytortua made in an interview a month ago (if he didn’t lie) saying that Raul & his team told them they can do “LITERALLY ANYTHING” with the girls when they came to Mexico (talking about Sheynnis and a few contestants who came to Mexico a few days after MU 2023 finished).. I am genuinely scared for the girls… this is so sad cause there are people in the new MUO like Olivia Quido & her team of assistants who are genuinely so so nice and of course the MU herself Sheynnis, all of whose great work is being overshadowed by horrible actions like this one. So sad 😢

[julzziemac]

They should rename the pageant to miss universe latinas

[Letsbakegf]

The ironic thing is that I think we will see more diverse winners because of the face the organization can't afford to lose a lot of franchises. They will go out of their way to crown girls who we wouldn't expect to win because they want to make a point.

[maximemarchand]

I don’t see how Ann and him would get along with each other 😅.
Both are strong and directive personnalities.
I m concern about the absence of diversity as well. I m not interested to see only robotic latina contestants.

[christianoliveros]

I thinks since Miss Universe is still a business and with all of this new changes of people in the organization, we kinda know now how this era will be. and because of this, this should be an opportunity with organizations to select properly who they’re gonna send to fit in what these people are really looking for.

[ADK]

Even if his idea of beauty is different from how most people perceive beauty, we cannot deny the fact he is a queen maker. He has multiple titleholders under his belt. As of now, muo is yet to announce what his role is.

[XtianJade]

Host:

And here are your final 3 for Miss Universe 2024:

Thailand
Mexico
Venezuela

[mattgilfellow]

Oh Dani, you just gave us so much more information about all of this!!!😭