“You really know how to make money,” one social media user commented in response to the offer.
|
Miss Universe 2024 Victoria Kjær Theilvig. Photo from Theilvig's Instagram |
The package includes VIP access to the Miss Universe 2025 press conference, a signed Miss Universe 2024 poster, a limited-edition Miss Universe T-shirt, a VIP lanyard, and a personal photo and autograph session with Theilvig. Nawat Itsaragrisil, president of Miss Grand International (MGI) and the new license holder for Miss Universe Thailand, will also attend the event.
On the World Press Facebook page, dedicated to beauty pageant news, one user commented: “Too expensive for a photograph.”
Criticism also extended to Itsaragrisil, with one user noting: “Wherever Nawat goes, it becomes a circus show.”
Another accused: “He [Nawat] is trying to make money for the MGI pageant.”
Itsaragrisil’s involvement with Miss Universe Thailand has particularly drawn attention given his controversial past in the pageant industry, notably his policy of barring contestants who participated in the contest from competing in his Miss Grand Thailand pageant.
Additionally, during the Miss Grand International 2022 opening video, a notable scene depicted the letters “MU,” representing Miss Universe, being dramatically replaced with “MG” for Miss Grand, highlighting his critical stance toward the Miss Universe competition.
Itsaragrisil, 53, is a Thai television host and producer who founded MGI in 2013. The pageant emphasizes humanitarian causes, with titleholders serving as spokespersons and engaging in charity events to support these initiatives.
Last year, MGI faced several controversies, including a dispute involving Itsaragrisil and Myanmar’s MGI 2024 titleholder Thae Su Nyein along with the national director, followed by the withdrawal of MGI licenses by national directors from India, Honduras, and Indonesia.
Theilvig, 22, has made history as the first Dane to win Miss Universe. She assumed the title of Miss Universe Denmark after Emma Heyst, the original winner of the Miss Denmark 2024 pageant, decided not to participate in Miss Universe 2024.
Theilvig also achieved the position of second runner-up in the 2021 Miss Denmark contest and represented Denmark at Miss Grand International 2022, where she placed in the top 20.
