KEY POINTS
- Milla Magee accuses Indian organisers of exploitation and objectification
- She accused the show of parading contestants before wealthy male sponsors
- She condemned the event for prioritizing glamour over purpose, saying her advocacy efforts were ignored in favour of appearances.
- The scandal has triggered global backlash, with calls for investigation into the event’s ethics and scrutiny of India’s management role.
ISLAMABAD: The 74th Miss World pageant, currently being held in Telangana, India, has been rocked by controversy after Miss England 2024, Milla Magee, dramatically withdrew from the competition, accusing organisers of exploitation, objectification, and mismanagement behind the show’s glossy façade.
Milla Magee, a 24-year-old lifeguard and body positivity advocate from Cornwall, stunned the international pageant world by becoming the first-ever Miss England to quit the competition mid-event.
But it was her scathing condemnation of the show’s behind-the-scenes treatment that truly sent shockwaves.
“I felt like a prostitute,” Milla told media outlets in an emotional interview, describing what she says was a deeply uncomfortable experience.
“We had to sit like performing monkeys. I didn’t come here to be farmed out for entertainment.”
Magee alleged that contestants were routinely paraded before wealthy male sponsors in what she called a “disturbing” practice.
“We were assigned tables — two girls for every six men — and expected to entertain them for hours. All while dressed in ball gowns and full makeup, even at breakfast.”
The Miss World organization, long marketed as a platform promoting “beauty with a purpose,” is now under fire, with critics pointing to a jarring disconnect between its slogan and what contestants like Magee actually endured.
“This was supposed to be about impact, about change,” she said. “Instead, it felt stuck in the past — all tiaras and traditions, with no real intention of listening to women’s voices.”
Magee had hoped to use the pageant to promote her CPR awareness campaign, a cause supported by Prince William.
But what she encountered, she said, was a pageant machine still trapped in an archaic model, where appearances outweighed purpose.
“I stopped wearing makeup, dressed like myself — and still, no one cared what I stood for. It was never about the cause. Just the costumes.”
The Indian management of the 2025 event is now under international scrutiny. Human rights observers and feminist advocates are questioning whether the event adhered to the ethical and safety standards expected from a platform claiming global legitimacy.
Critics allege that the glamorized front of the show concealed serious malpractices – exploitative seating arrangements, forced socialization with elite male sponsors, and unreasonable beauty standards — all reportedly orchestrated or tolerated by local organizers in India.
While the Miss World franchise has yet to issue a comprehensive response to Magee’s allegations, public sentiment is turning rapidly.
Many are calling for an independent investigation into the treatment of contestants and a serious re-evaluation of host country selection going forward.
Milla Magee’s bold stand may mark a turning point in the pageant’s history — not as a celebration of beauty, but as a reckoning for the systems that continue to commodify it.
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