Miss World Trinidad and Tobago (MWTT) Franchise holders has denied claims of discrimination. This follows accusations by Miss Plymouth, Karielle Ramsden, who, through a Facebook post, alleges that she has been subjected to racism and prejudice.
According to her post, Ramsden stated that she was denied the opportunity to have her photo taken as part of a series of events for the competition. Ramsden said instead, a photo shoot was organised by the Miss World franchise holder in her absence.
Ramsden said, “The reason I was unavailable is because no consideration was given to me to get my beauty with a purpose project done. In fact, the schedule was changed several times, and each time it became even more impossible. I had to insist on taking the time needed to film my project, by this time, the majority of the Trinidadian delegates were either finished with theirs or had almost completed theirs. During the period of my absence, that photoshoot was scheduled,” Ramsden said.”
Ramsden further stated that “On my return to Trinidad, I called the franchise holder and requested for her to make the arrangements to get my photos taken. Her first response was, “That will have to be done next week.” When the next week arrived, her second response was “She’ll talk to the photographers and get back to me.”. She never did, “Ramsden said.
“Ramsden further stated, “That’s only a sample of what I experienced, I’m aware of racism and prejudice, but this was my first time experiencing it as a Tobagonian,” she said.
Efforts to reach Ramsden for further comment proved futile. However, Miss World franchise holders released a statement via Facebook, denying discrimination against any of the Miss World participants.
The statement said support was given to all Miss World participants. “As part of the competition integrity and transparency, the Miss World Trinidad and Tobago team supported each finalist to ensure equal opportunities for skill development, exposure, and support. While we understand that there will be disappointments, only one girl had to be chosen to represent our country.
“The diversity represented in the seventeen finalists, the top ten, the final five, the top three winners, the selection committees, judges, and designers can be easily observed, and there has been absolutely no racial prejudice or otherwise in this competition.”
“Miss World Trinidad and Tobago celebrates the rich diversity of our country’s cultures and ethnicities through our franchise. Consequently, we categorically reject any and all unfounded allegations of bias or discrimination.”
According to the statement, “The MWTT 2022 Competition spanned nine hectic weeks of competitions, social media challenges, photo shoots, training sessions, and media appearances. Following their selection as finalists, all seventeen young ladies were informed of the most important aspects of the competition and the deadlines, expectations, time requirements, activities, and criteria associated with it.
“In accordance with the international Miss World pageant norms, all finalists were required to compete in five sub-competitions ahead of the finale, and their scores from each competition were added to the final night score. The five judged sub-competitions were: talent competition; top model competition; digital media challenge; and beauty with a purpose competition.
Miss Maracas Valley, Aché Abrahams, was crowned Miss World on November 6, 2022, at the Lord Kitchener Auditorium, National Academy of the Performing Arts (NAPA), The 23-year-old, who is a creative artist, a mental health advocate, and a social activist, went up against 16 other contestants. Abrahams will represent Trinidad and Tobago at the 71st Miss World Pageant in 2023.
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