Fashion
Ecuador’s 46-Year-Old Miss Universe Contender Breaks Age Barriers
Ecuador may send a 46-year-old woman to represent the country in the upcoming Miss Universe competition.
Yajaira Quizhpi, who represents the Sierra area, competes for the national title of Miss Universe Ecuador.
This Saturday, she and 24 other contestants will compete in the pageant’s final in Machala, El Oro province. The winner will represent Ecuador in the Miss Universe competition in Mexico in September.
Quizhpi is the country’s oldest lady to compete in the Miss Universe event.
“I am honored to be permitted to be here. We have shattered barriers, and, as women, we can take a step forward without worry of what people may say,” she stated.
Her quest became a reality only after the Miss Universe Organization modified its age-related criteria. Previously, candidates had to be between the ages of 18 to 28. As of 2024, there is no maximum age.
“The experience was rewarding. It has benefited me personally. My husband and son have been supportive of me. “My husband was the one who encouraged me to register and participate in this candidacy today,” she continued.
Quizhpi is a chemical engineer born in Azogues, Cañar province.
She claims that fellow candidates have encouraged her and that the fear of criticism can be overcome with determination and genuine friendship.
“They (the other contenders) have treated me with tremendous affection, and I have observed togetherness. We have learned from each other, both pleasant and terrible experiences. I want to thank my coworkers, who have always been quite fond of me. “It’s been a great life lesson,” she explained.
Quizhpi isn’t the only contestant who would have been unable to compete if the Miss Universe regulations had not changed in 2023.
For the first time in its more than 70-year history, the franchise has approved the participation of married or divorced women who have given birth or are expecting. Seven of the 25 contenders for Miss Universe Ecuador are mothers, with four married and three divorced.
Daysi Laman, a 29-year-old divorced mother of three, believes the pageant is making significant progress and expresses her support for Quizhpi.
“She is one of our most experienced coworkers, and not just because of her age. She is a stunningly gorgeous woman who is also capable and educated. We get along nicely. “I admire her bravery,” she added during a video call.
Another participant, 29-year-old Carolina Cobo, is a single mother with a seven-year-old daughter. She claims that beauty is subjective, and that the contest’s revised guidelines are helping to battle social stigmas.
“We don’t have to bind women to the notion that if they reach a particular age, they can no longer do certain things, or that they are mothers. In a video interview, Cobo, who represents the province of Pichincha, stated that we will always be women with a dream, a message, and a life purpose.
This is not the first time in Latin America that a beauty pageant contestant’s age has sparked interest.
Alejandra Rodriguez made global news in April when she was crowned Miss Buenos Aires, making history as the first sexagenarian to win a Miss Universe title. While Rodriguez’s Miss Universe run ended in May when she was not chosen to represent Argentina, she described her involvement as “the first step of a change that is coming.”
The Miss Universe organization, which is the parent business of Miss USA, has been under criticism in recent weeks. In “May, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA resigned” within days of each other due to charges of mismanagement, toxicity, and situations that harmed their mental health.
Entertainment
Stars Shine at 2024 Tony Awards: Red Carpet Glamour and Wins!
The 2024 Tony Awards included some of Hollywood’s brightest performers! View photographs of your favourite celebrities on the red carpet.
The 77th Tony Awards were full of unexpected and heartwarming moments. From Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe’s acceptance speeches to Alicia Keys’ rendition of her famous tune “Empire State of Mind” the annual ceremony recognized the best of Broadway.
Daniel received his first Tony Award for his performance in Merrily We Roll Along, and praised his girlfriend, Erin Darke, in a heartfelt speech.
“Thank you so much to our cast and everyone on stage; it is a pleasure to be there with you every night. “I’ll miss it so much,” the Harry Potter franchise star stated, while thanking the crew, staff, and his family.
Scroll through our gallery for photographs from the 2024 Tony Awards red carpet.
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo sparkled in this strapless gold gown, which she offset with a sparkling choker.
Vivienne & Angelina Jolie
Angelina brought her daughter Vivienne to the Tonys, as they both worked on the Tony-winning production The Outsiders together.
Anthony Ramos
Anthony Ramos chose a plain black suit for the annual awards show as he walked the red carpet.
Ashley Park
Ashley Park chose a black velvet ensemble with matching gloves, exuding movie star vibes with her full look.
Billy Porter
Billy Porter dazzled in this all-black outfit, which included a matching long-sleeved jacket.
Elle Fanning
Elle Fanning walked the red carpet in a plain plunging V-neck black suit, and she completed her look with a ruby red lip stain.
Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams stunned in this silver and black number while posing for the cameras on the red carpet.
The 2024 Tony Awards were a night of glamour and heartfelt moments. Stars like Cynthia Erivo, Angelina Jolie, Billy Porter, Elle Fanning, and Rachel McAdams dazzled on the red carpet, while Daniel Radcliffe celebrated his first Tony win with a touching speech. From stunning outfits to emotional speeches, the event truly showcased the best of Broadway.
Entertainment
Cristiano Ronaldo Tops Highest Paid Athletes 2024; Mahomes Falls
No one can touch Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to making money. the world highest-paid athletes,
Forbes publishes an annual ranking of the world’s highest-paid professional athletes. Cristiano Ronaldo consistently ranks as the top player every year.
The Portuguese soccer star remains a top earner at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. While it’s not surprising that a Saudi-funded athlete ranks second, the identity of the athlete may surprise some,”Jon Rahm is the 2nd-highest paid athlete in the world“
Top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2024.
- Cristiano Ronaldo: $260 million total earnings
- Jon Rahm: $218 million total earnings
- Lionel Messi: $135 million total earnings
- LeBron James: $128.2 million total earnings
- Giannis Antetokounmpo: $111 million total earnings
- Kylian Mbappe: $110 million total earnings
- Neymar: $108 million total earnings
- Karim Benzema: $106 million total earnings
- Stephen Curry: $102 million total earnings
- Lamar Jackson: $100.5 million total earnings, Click here to more..
Entertainment
Former Miss USA Employees Speak Out: ‘Living in Fear’ of Bullying and Harassment
The recent resignation of Miss USA Employees, the Miss USA 2023 Noeila Voigt and Miss Teen USA 2023 UmaSofia Srivastava
Former members of the Miss USA Organization blasted its leadership this week, claiming president and CEO Laylah Rose created a toxic work environment that is responsible for the high-profile exodus at the organisation behind one of the country’s longest-running pageants.
Noelia Voigt, who resigned as Miss USA on Monday, wrote in a scathing, eight-page resignation letter obtained by Yahoo News that the “stress, instability and lack of support” she received from Rose “greatly impacted my physical health.” Excerpts of the letter were first published by NBC News on Thursday.
“I am experiencing heart palpitations, full body shakes, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, loss of sleep, loss of hair and more,” she wrote.
Voigt cited Rose’s leadership style and a pattern of abusive behaviour as the reasons she stepped down. A number of the accusations against Rose were corroborated to Eonline360 by former Miss USA social media director Claudia Engelhardt. (In previous reports, Engelhardt was identified by her Instagram name Claudia Michelle.)
“So-called leaders who seem to have too big of an ego, lack humility, lack self-awareness, and seem willing to lie, gaslight, manipulate, throw people under the bus to serve their narrative, and only care about their self-image alone are dangerous and cowardly and should never be allowed to be in charge of a women’s empowerment organisation,” Voigt said in the letter.
The accusations about Rose come on the heels of the sudden resignations of Voigt and Miss Teen USA UmaSofia Srivastava, who stepped down two days after Voigt. Voigt did not detail these allegations in the initial social media post announcing her resignation, in which she said she values “the importance of making decisions that feel best for you and your mental health.”
Internet sleuths speculated something was up after discovering the first letter of the first 11 sentences in her post spelled out “I AM SILENCED,” sparking theories it was an encoded message. Srivastava’s social post announcing her resignation said that her “personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organisation.”
Rose and the Miss USA Organization did not respond to Eonline360’ repeated requests for comment for this story. In comments to the media Wednesday, a day prior to the first reports of Voigt’s resignation letter, Rose said, “Please be assured that the well-being of all individuals associated with Miss USA is my top priority.”
Responding to a critical post by Engelhardt, the former social media director, the Miss USA Organization said in a statement Wednesday to USA Today: “We are troubled to hear the false accusations made by a former Miss USA employee. Miss USA is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and supportive environment, and we take these allegations seriously. Indeed, we have and will continue to prioritise the well-being of all individuals involved with Miss USA.”
At least six people serving in various roles at the organisation have left or have alleged they were dismissed in recent weeks. In the latest departure, Miss Colorado Arianna Lemus on Friday announced she was stepping down in solidarity with Voigt and Srivastava.
In addition, there has been a groundswell of support from current state titleholders calling for Voigt to be released from an NDA she allegedly signed with the organisation.
Voigt alleged in her resignation letter that the toxic work environment was “at best, poor management and, at worst, [was] bullying and harassment.” She claimed Rose was “inaccessible for communication,” which led Voigt to miss public events and feel unsafe at some of the events she was able to attend. In one example, Voigt said that because of insufficient support provided by her designated handler, she was sexually harassed at a parade in 2023.
“[I was] left alone in a car with the man who drove the car through the parade and he made several inappropriate statements to me about his desire to enter into a relationship with me,” Voigt wrote. “When I informed [Rose] of the harassment, [she said] ‘We cannot prevent people saying things to you at public appearances, it is, unfortunately, part of the role you’re in as a public figure.’”
In text messages reviewed by Eonline360, Voigt also raises concerns about someone using the Miss USA Instagram account without her knowledge and “commenting on my behalf.” Voigt states she is “not comfortable” with the posts and asks to “further discuss safe and appropriate social media usage.”
According to Engelhardt, “internally, we all knew” it was Rose micromanaging the accounts herself, rather than consulting or working with Engelhardt as the brand’s social media director. This was not the usual practice for someone in Rose’s position, according to Engelhardt.
Engelhardt, who started as the organisation’s social media director in January, also told Eonline360 that Rose would quote contract excerpts back to Voigt and Srivastava if they posted something she personally didn’t like on social media.
“They would be met with screenshots, they would be met with copy-and-paste sections of their contracts saying, ‘You’re not doing this right. You’re in breach of contract. Correct this or we’re going to withhold your salary,’” Engelhardt alleged. “You’re living in fear. It’s like, alright, if I breathe are they going to say something? Are they going to email me?”
In Voigt’s letter, she mentioned threats of her salary being withheld, saying, “It’s incredibly jarring to be trying to do my job and constantly be threatened with disciplinary action, including taking away my salary, for things that were never discussed with me and … were causing no issue other than not meeting her personal preference.”
Voigt also alleged that Rose “attempted to slander me and defame and disparage my character” to members of the national Miss USA team. In one instance, she claimed Rose commented to someone about how she hoped Voigt would get hit in the face by a baseball when throwing out the first pitch at a game.
Rose took over from the pageant’s former national director, Crystle Stewart, in August 2023 at a time of turmoil within the organisation. Stewart stepped down following accusations that the Miss USA 2022 pageant had been rigged. (Subsequently, the Miss Universe Organization conducted an investigation and said it had determined the accusations of a rigged pageant were false.) In 2022, former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst died by suicide.
Before becoming Miss USA president, Rose owned an eponymous fashion line and was the CEO of the VIP Pageantry network, a mobile app Forbes described as being “focused on the beauty, fashion, and pageant industries.” (It is not affiliated with Miss USA.)
On Thursday, Miss Hawaii Savannah Gankiewicz — runner-up at the 2023 pageant — was announced as the new Miss USA. She’ll be crowned in a ceremony on May 15. Gankiewicz said in a statement that deciding to replace Voigt “was not one that was made lightly.”
“I stand with Noelia and admire her strength to step down and prioritise her mental health,” she said.
The Miss USA pageant has a history stretching back more than 70 years, with the first winner, Jackie Loughery, crowned in 1952. The winner of Miss USA typically represents the country in the Miss Universe competition, one of the “big four” beauty pageants around the world.
Both Engelhardt and Voigt, in her resignation letter, said they hoped their exits would help lead to necessary change at the organisation.
“This needs to be a wake-up call to the Miss Universe Organization and the Miss USA Organization,” Engelhardt said. “Better management needs to be in place. … Especially in a women’s empowerment organisation, you have to practise what you preach. And this is the furthest thing from it.”
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