Miss England Milla Magee has walked out of the prestigious Miss World contest held in India and revealed that she was exploited during the contest.
Speaking to British tabloid The Sun, Magee said contestants were asked to entertain middle-aged businessmen at dining tables as a way to “thank” them for investing in to the show, that the former lifeguard said made her feel like a prostitute.
“I found that unbelievable. I remember thinking, ‘This is so wrong.’ I didn’t come here to be farmed out for people’s entertainment. Miss World is supposed to have the same values, but it’s outdated and stuck in the past. They made me feel like a prostitute,” said Magee.
View this post on Instagram
Milla also recalled how she was not allowed to talk about the causes she supported during these interactions with businessmen, and instead the contestant felt like she was there as a performing monkey.
“At one point, I tried to talk about the causes I was supporting, but it was obvious the men at the table were not interested. Instead, there was weird small-talk that left me feeling uncomfortable… We were there to please these people and sit like performing monkeys. I couldn’t stand it.”
Magee had previously urged the Miss World organisation to scrap their swimwear round, and instead ask the contestants to perform life-saving skills like chest compression or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
In a lengthy post on her Instagram account, Mila shared a clip of her interview with The Sun and elaborated on why she chose to speak up against the Miss World organisation.
“This decision was not made lightly,” expressed Magee. “However, I found that certain aspects of the experience did not align with my personal values. I also witnessed and experienced things that made me deeply uncomfortable. I believe it is important to speak up when something doesn’t feel right—and just as importantly, to step away when your integrity is at stake.”
“No one should ever feel they have to remain in a situation that goes against their beliefs or compromises their well-being.”
View this post on Instagram
