Nobody is perfect. Period. The thing is, sometimes, perfection is a requirement. That is at least what Miss Universe wanted.
Miss Universe Indonesia is a beauty pageant and organization that selects Indonesia's official representative for Miss Universe.
As part of the Big Four international beauty pageants, contestants are required to pass a long list of criteria to be eligible to participate. These rules are designed to maintain the integrity and standards of the pageant.
Contestants must typically be between the ages of 18 and 28 at the time they compete, have good reputation, have good physical health, talented and have skills, language proficiency, and more.
But those long list of criteria doesn't mention anything about not having physical imperfections, or the obligatory of undergoing body check in front of organizers and Liaison Officers with smartphones, in public area with CCTV cameras.
This happened after the Miss Universe franchise in Indonesia being officially granted to be under a organizing body PT. Capella Swastika Karya, Inc., that also licensed Miss Universe Malaysia.
Poppy Capella as its national director and Eldwen Wang as its CEO and Communication Director, the beauty pageant was also operated under Just Capella Sdn. Bhd. management.
Under the organization, a separate, standalone pageant was responsible for the selection of the future Miss Universe Indonesia titleholders from 2023 onwards.
The event was attended by the Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel, 2nd runner-up and top 5 of Miss Universe 2022, Andreína Martínez and Gabriëla Dos Santos, respectively.
But what this means, Miss Universe Indonesia was working under a new management, and had organizers that never worked with it before.
And here, the Miss Universe Indonesia 2023 caught itself in a controversy, after it was revealed that pageants were experiencing sexual harassment during the event's quarantine period.
Six contestants reported that they were subjected to invasive "body checks," where they were asked to strip down to their bottom underwear for examinations in front of a group of people of around 20 people that included men.
Because the so-called "room" was actually a makeshift section of a building, the public was able to enter and exit the area.
According to one of the whistleblowers, who was one of the finalists at the beauty pageant, she was told to have her breasts checked, including the nipples, which according to the organizers, was to ensure that she never breastfed.
At the time, the contestants shouldn't obscure them with their hands, use nipple pads or a silicone gel bra for even the slightest modesty in front of those many people.
Allegedly, contestants were also having their cellulites, stretchmarks, pimples, and the darkened skin at crevices to be listed.
At least one of the whistleblowers said that her groin was inspected, with the organizers asking whether she had shaved her pubic hair or not, by having their face close to her body.
Some were also allegedly photographed topless and made to pose inappropriately, including spreading and bending over.
When one of the participants asked for the reason why they have to have part of their bodies photographed, the organizers only said that they've been told to do so by their superiors.
It's also said that the reason was because the clothing they were told to wear are bespoke to them, and that the organizers wanted contestants to not show anything beyond the bikini line, and that contestants wouldn't reveal any of their imperfections, which could affect their chances of winning.
They added that the reason was also because of censorship in Indonesia. Too much skin exposed would prevent it from being aired.
When the incident was made public, and caught the attention of fans and spectators, the controversy also sparked outrage online, particularly after a local podcaster, Deddy Corbuzier, amplified the reach of the case to a wider audience.
At the time, heated discussions about body shaming, privacy violations, and the ethical boundaries of beauty pageants happened on the internet, particularly on social media.
Many people see this as a clear example of unhealthy standards that put pressure on participants to conform to unrealistic body ideals.
This has also led to debates about the ethics of such practices in beauty pageants in general, not just in Indonesia, and not just in Miss Universe, with many others started arguing whether pageants of Miss World, Miss International and Miss Earth also experience something similar.
Eventually, this led to legal actions, with the Indonesian authorities investigating the claims.
And as a result of this, on August 12, 2023, the Miss Universe Organization terminated its partnership with PT. Capella Swastika Karya.
— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) August 12, 2023
The organization also dismissed Poppy Capella as the National Director, on the claimed sexual harassment scandal involving several of Miss Universe Indonesia contestants.
The move indicates the gravity of the situation and Miss Universe's commitment to upholding the dignity and safety of all participants.
Responding to the accusation, Capella claimed in an Instagram post that she was unaware of any of that.
She also said that she didn't have the slightest idea about the "process to commit violence or sexual harassment through body checking," noting that she was not involved, nor had she "allowed anyone who played a role and participated" in the alleged harassment.
It's worth noting that besides severing ties with Miss Universe Indonesia, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO), head of the Miss Universe beauty pageant, also announced the cancellation of 2023's Miss Universe Malaysia, which is also organized by PT Capella Swastika Karya.
"To the women who came forward from the Indonesia pageant – we’re sorry that this was your experience with our organization,” the company wrote. “We appreciate your bravery in speaking out, and we pledge to do better in the future."
Regardless, the winner of Miss Universe Indonesia 2023, Fabienne Nicole, was still allowed to represent Indonesia in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant in El Salvador.
