THE NEW MISS Teen USA will get to keep her crown despite an outcry over tweets she once wrote using racist language.
The Miss Universe Organisation, which owns the Miss Teen USA pageant, issued a statement Sunday chastising Karlie Hay’s words but also “supporting her continued growth”.
After she was crowned Saturday night in Las Vegas, social media users found tweets containing the N-word linked to an account with Hay’s name.
A screenshot of the four tweets from 2013 and 2014 has been making the rounds online.
Hay released a statement following the incident, in which she apologised and said it wasn’t “representative of who I am as a person”.
“Several years ago, I had many personal struggles and found myself in a place that is not representative of who I am as a person,” she said.
“I admit that I have used language publicly in the past which I am not proud of and that there is no excuse for.
Through hard work, education and thanks in large part to the sisterhood that I have come to know through pageants, I am proud to say that I am today a better person.
I am honoured to hold this title and I will use this platform to promote the values of The Miss Universe Organisation, and my own, that recognise the confidence, beauty and perseverance of all women.
Pageant officials, referencing Hay’s apology, said the 18-year-old was going through personal struggles and regrets her words.
In a statement to Time Magazine, officials said that the language Hay used was “unacceptable at any age” and did not reflect the “values of The Miss Universe Organisation”.
“As Karlie stated, she was in a different place in her life and made a serious mistake she regrets and for which she sincerely apologises,” the statement reads.
Hay, of Tomball, Texas, said she will use her platform to advocate for those affected by drug and alcohol abuse.
The Miss Teen USA pageant also came under fire for what people said was a lack of diversity when the five finalists all had blonde hair and light skin.
With reporting from Associated Press
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