2015 Miss Iceland Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir was told that in order to do well in the Miss Grand International beauty contest, she needed to drop some weight, so she did when she quit the competition.
After taking notes from Nawat Itsaragrisil, the owner of Miss Grand International, a spokeswoman for the beauty pageant, told Jónsdóttir to:
“…stop eating breakfast, eat just salad for lunch and drink water every evening until the contest.”
Jónsdóttir made it very clear that she was not willing to change her body or the way she looked for anyone and announced Sunday that she quit the competition. Jónsdóttir stated:
“If the owner of the contest really wants me to lose weight and doesn’t like me the way I am, then he doesn’t deserve to have me in the Top 10. Yes, my shoulders are a bit broader than the other girls’, but that is because I was a member of the Icelandic national athletics team and I am proud of that. Of course, I don’t take these comments to heart, but to do my best then hear this… Personally, I think I’m fine as I am.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BL4rzpSDzGn/
Don’t be mistaken, the beauty contestant and Icelandic athlete is not sad about leaving the competition, and is standing up to these barbaric ways of thinking about woman and beauty in today’s industry. She thanked her supporters by saying:
“I’m going to stand up for myself, all women and the Icelandic nation. I’m not going to let them say that I have too much fat to be on stage. Thanks so much for your support. I go home as a winner and the most proud Icelander in the world.”
Jónsdóttir’s choice to make a change and stand up to the people imposing unrealistic expectations on women in the beauty industry not only rings true for women in general but begins a course of action that should help to change how our young girls start to see themselves in their own skin.
Too often women let these types of issues slide, but this is an era where we will see our first female President, where glass ceilings will begin to shatter, and where every woman faced with this type of decision should respond exactly how Jónsdóttir did.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez7UDNAZWr0
Featured Image Via People Magazine
