She knows what it feels like to be seen but not heard.
Former Miss New York Tatiana Diaz, 31, is not surprised that the Miss USA organization is collapsing.
“This has been a long time coming,” she exclusively told The Post on Thursday.
“You all have different personalities and are pushed and pulled in different ways and told what to do,” Diaz added. “It has a huge impact on mental health.”
Her ultimate message is that “underneath this crown is a human being.”
Diaz’s comments echo Monday’s shocking announcement that Miss USA Noelia Vogt will vacate her title after seven months due to mental health issues, making her the 72nd He became the first titleholder in the history of the year to retire of his own accord.
Concerned fans on Instagram even warned that the first letter of Vogt’s resignation letter spelled out the message: “I remain silent.” Officials said it was intentional.
And just a few days later, 17-year-old Miss Teen USA Umasofia Srivastava (former Miss New Jersey Teen USA) also quit. She said in a statement that her personal values are “no longer fully aligned with the direction of the organization.”
Diaz, who was crowned Miss New York in 2015, returned to the spotlight in the Miss New York world and opened up about the challenges she faced. Some of them are similar to Vogt’s and Srivastava’s problems.
Diaz’s year in pageants and as Miss New York solidified deep-seated issues about her body image, brand image and other people’s opinions of her that took years to overcome.
“There are a lot of people dissecting you and criticizing you. It’s not just the judge on the day,” she told the Post. “I wasn’t ready for all of that.”
Accusations of bullying and harassment within the Miss USA organization — the current president and CEO, fashion designer Leila Rose, took over amid a new scandal in 2023 — have rocked the organization.
They shocked the world, but not Diaz.
The Dominican-American beauty queen said she felt tokenized and second-guessed.
“I felt like there was so much more to me, and they were trying to market me as this hot, spicy Latina,” she said, adding that she was trying to “bring out my Latinaness” by hosting told how she was inspired to wear red. In her mind, she “concocts a story full of trauma.”
“I wasn’t happy with it,” Diaz insisted. “I essentially felt like I was being bullied.”
Diaz entered her first pageant at the age of 16 because her parents encouraged her to participate in extracurricular activities so that she could hone her interpersonal skills and understand the advocacy side of things.
Diaz, who won the title of Miss Teen New York in 2010 and is on her way to winning the state’s big prize five years later, developed strong friendships with other contestants through her time in the beauty pageant world. I believe I built it. Some even stood by her side at her wedding in 2022 — and helped develop her endeavors in her journalistic career.
But it wasn’t all glitter and tiaras.
Diaz argued that speaking out about the issue would only seem to make things worse, and that she would be accused of being ungrateful and unworthy of the coveted title.
Diaz believes “it’s always been that way,” but thinks things have gotten worse because “the pageant system has shifted the focus to business, strictly business.”
But that business is collapsing.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing the decline of glamorous events,” she admitted.
The Miss Universe organization is Acquired by Thai trans business mogul Ang Jakapong’s JKN Global Group In 2022. In October 2023, the new owners filed for bankruptcy.
Diaz said former beauty queens she knows are uncomfortable with their children being part of the community, and would-be contestants are instead using their own platforms on social media. He said he is learning how to develop a “big appeal”.
“They are now realizing that glamor is not the only path, it is a very restrictive path,” she said. “It’s always been like this. This issue is actually becoming more and more public as women find the power to speak up for themselves.”
Diaz is disappointed to see that not much has changed in the 10 years since she was crowned, but she is trying to encourage women to be themselves and tap into the knowledge of former women. , hopes that the benefits of the pageant and the Miss USA organization will continue despite the changes. Contestants — will be implemented.
“I think this is a huge moment for the pageant world and a turning point that will determine whether the pageant world is going in the right direction or in the wrong direction,” she said.
