Beauty queens are under a lot of pressure to live up to certain standards: looking flawless, being talented and having a cause they're passionate about which must be a lot of work. But it turns out there are some extra rules and regulations they have to abide by that aren't as well advertised.
Veronika Didusenko has crowned Miss Ukraine, 2018 but four days later had her title stripped away from her when they realised she is a mum and it's sparked controversy. Speaking about the decision, the 23-year-old single mum slammed the decision as "discriminatory" against young mothers.
She said: "I didn't expect to win and I didn't have any intention to win because I have a professional modelling career, I have a pretty busy life... When it happened I was shocked".According to the rules, which are set by the Miss World pageant, participants who have been married and have a child are not allowed to participate in the competition Veronika has a son and is divorced which is why she was disqualified. Now that she's had her title taken away she says she wants to stand up for young mums. On Instagram, she wrote to her 22,000 followers: "I will cut off this last discriminatory rule of 'Miss World'"!In a previous post, she shared an alleged statement from one of the Miss Ukraine judges, which states: "She gave birth when she was 19 and then divorced. I think it is wrong to position such a person as a role model for others to follow."
Victoria also pointed to Mrs Ukraine, an alternative beauty contest to Miss Ukraine, that doesn't have an upper age limit or discriminate against mothers or married women. People on social media have strong views on the issue, with someone on Twitter calling the disqualification "outrageous" and someone else saying it's "just not OK".Other people have branded Veronika a "cheat" for going against the rules.