A contestant in the Miss World pageant has withdrawn after experiencing what she described as a demeaning treatment from Indian organizers, who paraded her around in a way she likened to a “monkey performance.” Milla Maggie, at 24, made history as the first Miss England to reach the 74-run mark in the competition.
During a promotional event in Hyderabad on May 7, Maggie shared that contestants were required to wear formal gowns throughout the day, including at breakfast.
Her breaking point reportedly came when she was asked to entertain a middle-aged businessman as a “thank you” for his financial support of the event, leaving her feeling uncomfortable and degraded. “We were expected to sit with them all night and entertain them as a thank you,” she recounted to a British newspaper.
She reflected, “This feels so wrong. I didn’t come here for entertainment; I expected the same respect in return, but it was like they were treating us as if we were less than.” At one point, Maggie attempted to discuss her advocacy work, but noticed the men at the table weren’t interested. Instead, the atmosphere felt oddly patronizing, as if they were merely there to amuse the men.
Maggie also mentioned feeling criticized by organizers for being “boring,” with one even clapping her hands in an attempt to get attention. “It was so rude, like talking to children instead of adults,” she said.
On May 16, she decided to leave the contest and return home to Cornwall. Before this incident, Maggie had advocated for a change in the Miss World swimsuit competition to include assessments of life-saving skills, reflecting her own experience with personal tragedy that highlighted the importance of such abilities.
As a trained lifeguard and CPR advocate, she’s passionate about emergency preparedness. Following her departure, Miss England director Angie Beasley announced that Maggie had left for “personal reasons,” while emphasizing their support for her decision, stating that health should always come first.
