MeToo
Miss Plymouth County Returns Her Crown Because of #MeToo Joke
“I refuse to stand idly by and simply ‘let this go’. “
A beauty pageant winner has chosen to give up her title after a skit during the competition mocked the MeToo movement.
Maude Gorman, 24, who held the title of Miss Plymouth County in the 2018 Miss Massachusetts pageant, was not amused by the skit carried out by the pageant emcees. The joke reportedly featured one person playing the character of God, to which the host asked why swimsuit competitions were removed from pageants. The character held up a sign in response that read “#MeToo”.
In an interview with NBC Boston, Gorman stated that as a sexual assault survivor herself she felt betrayed watching the skit unfold from backstage. “To mock a movement that has empowered survivors to stand up is inappropriate, and especially a women’s empowerment organization, should be unacceptable,” said Gorman.
The pageant queen took to Instagram to announce her resignation.
Since the pageant the Miss Massachusetts organization has issued an apology on Facebook stating that the skit was not an approved part of the competition and they will be taking measures to screen future skits prior to the pageant.
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