The insulted and the crowned: Was Miss Mexico awarded the title because of what she went through these past weeks?

Crowned: Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch. Screen shot: missuniverse/Instagram

It all sounds rather scripted. A beauty queen was insulted, she stood up against her aggressor, and told the media that the world had to see it and that she had a voice and would use it. The drama truly kicked off a series of unfortunate incidents that ultimately overshadowed the competition itself. And now Miss Mexico was crowned Miss Universe 2025. When pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil insulted winner Fátimah Bosch by calling her “dumb head” and later changing it to curious “damage”, he might not have realised that he really amplified the voice he was trying to hush. Mr Itsaragrisil’s gratuitous insult didn’t just earn Miss Mexico a crown; it solidified her public narrative as a champion who fought, and won, against the seemingly outdated establishment. The arc is almost too neat.

After she walked off that fateful day—probably the most consequential reaction in pageant history, Ms Bosch gave the waiting media a speech. She declaread: “I think the world needs to see this because we are empowered women and this is a platform for our voice. No one can silence us, and no one will do that to me.” To us, her fate was sealed at that moment: She completed the Q&A round of the final competition prematurely, but it was the precedence, not performance, that won her the ultimate prize. By crowning Ms Bosch, the Miss Universe Organization rewrote the scandal into a story of resilience, effectively laundering the entire controversy into a feel-good ending. And in doing so, they risked delegitimising the victory for many fans, who now view the crown as a calculated act of damage control rather than a true reflection of the competition’s most exceptional all-rounder.

The victory wave. Photo: farimaboschfdz/Instagram

Upon the announcement of Miss Mexico’s win, the Impact Muang Thong Thani auditorium was filled with a collective, audible gasp of disbelief that the instant first runner-up, Miss Thailand, was overlooked, prompting crowds outside to immediately translate their outrage into viral social media reels featuring jeers and dramatic thumbs-down gestures. The Nation reported that the chant “cooking show” (the highly critical pageant slang for a predetermined result) was “widely heard inside the venue”. Local entertainer DJ Matoom, livestreaming from Impact, described an atmosphere characterised by widespread disorientation and vociferous dissent. According to the Thai daily, this reaction stemmed from a belief in a fix, with DJ Matoom noting particularly strong dissatisfaction among Filipino fans, who were convinced the crown had been predetermined in Mexico’s favour.

Meanwhile, on Instagram, ex-Judge Omar Harfouch, who dramatically resigned before the final, alleged again that the competition was rigged, branding Miss Mexico “fake Miss Universe”. He asserted that the victory was fixed due to undisclosed business connections between Miss Universe President Raúl Rocha Cantú (who is Mexican) and Fátima Bosch’s father. Mr Harfouch alleged that a week before the final, Mr Rocha and his son “urged” him to vote for Ms Bosch, stating they needed her to win because it would be “good for our business”. He also stated that he knew Miss Mexico would win “24 hours” before the coronation and even shared this prediction publicly on a platform (allegedly HBO, which will air a documentary next May) before the results were announced.

In the swimwear round. Photo: farimaboschfdz/Instagram

Frankly, we, too, knew that Miss Mexico would win, but not from the alleged cooked results. When she made that speech to the media and, later, posted a video online, saying that the MU experience had taught her “bravery and self-confidence, but more importantly… when facing injustice and humiliation, maintaining your own principles is more important than any honour”, the crown was on her head. Her viral, pre-final declaration was an unscripted, deeply-felt-by-her-supporters piece of self-discovery and social commentary that was arguably more powerful and resonant than anything she (or any other delegate) could have delivered under the high-pressure, artificial constraints of the final night Q&A segment, as her own answer to “the final question” showed. It’s easier to get it done well off-stage.

Could Miss Mexico’s victory then be a form of compensation for what she had to go through this past weeks? Another reason why it was a “cooking show”? It is tempting to see the crowning of Miss Mexico as a political and calculated move—a settlement or “an apology from the owners”, as some have said—to resolve the crisis and demonstrate that the organisation supports contestants who stand up for themselves. Some critics specifically state that the win feels more like sympathy than being deserved solely based on competition performance. It is also worth noting that while there is usually the overwhelming political/business factors that surround MU, the pageant this year has been especially less of a coronation and more of an awkwardly public arbitration, decided by the organization’s urgent need for a good-news headline.

Ms Bosch in her national costume. Photo: farimaboschfdz/Instagram

But if a collapsed ego must be crowned, what about the contestant who literally fell? Miss Jamaica, Dr Gabrielle Henry, had a terrifying fall during the preliminary evening gown competition, while walking what seemed like an ill-lit runway. She was sent to the hospital and apparently did not get the medical clearance to compete in the final program. The devastating accident of Miss Jamaica makes the compensation theory surrounding Miss Mexico even more striking for critics. The MUO chose to heavily reward Miss Mexico for overcoming political/psychological trauma (the bullying and walkout), which the organization itself caused or allowed to happen. Conversely, Miss Jamaica, who was a victim of a very serious, physical accident on the stage (a potential safety lapse), saw her journey end abruptly with an injury.

After the applause, it is hard not to wonder if Miss Mexico’s win was influenced by factors beyond the traditional judging criteria. The combination of factors—the judge’s allegations of business connections to the winner’s family, the MUO owner being Mexican, and the potential motive of using the crowning as damage control after the bullying scandal—makes it exceptionally difficult to view Miss Mexico’s win as being based purely on the traditional judging criteria of beauty, stage presence, and intellect in an already controversy-ladden competition. Beauty contests, at their core, have become mirrors of society’s values at a given moment. They’re less about finding a universal “most beautiful” woman and more about showcasing who best serves the prevailing political and commercial narrative. Beauty is not quite beautiful anymore.