• The Miss Universe first runner-up, Chidimma Adetshina, earned the highest-ever placement for Nigeria.
• She previously competed at Miss South Africa but withdrew following online attacks on her nationality.
• Adetshina shared the story of her tumultuous pageant journey with Business Insider.

When Chidimma Adetshina won Miss Nigeria in August, she wrote on Instagram that her crown was a "call to action," symbolizing "African unity and peaceful co-existence."

Adetshina is now the first-ever Miss Africa and Oceania, a new title awarded by a panel of Miss Universe judges. She was also first runner-up at Miss Universe, hosted in Mexico City, on November 16, earning Nigeria's highest placement in the pageant's 73-year history.

It's been a tumultuous journey for the 23-year-old, who almost didn't reach the Miss Universe stage after she withdrew from Miss South Africa following online attacks about her Nigerian name. Now, Adetshina is sharing her story with Business Insider.

'People felt I wasn't South African enough'

Questions began swirling around Adetshina's nationality over the summer while she was competing for Miss South Africa and appearing on the reality series "Crown Chasers."

Adetshina was born in Soweto, South Africa. Her father is Nigerian, and Adetshina told BI that online critics initially took issue with her Nigerian name.

"People felt I wasn't South African enough because my name is Chidimma. That's how the whole thing started," she said.

Adetshina faced a wave of xenophobic messages on platforms like X and Instagram. Gayton McKenzie — South Africa's minister of sports, arts, and culture — said Adetshina's participation in the Miss South Africa pageant gave him "funny vibes."

"We truly cannot have Nigerians compete in our Miss SA competition," he wrote on July 29 in a message on X. McKenzie did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Adetshina said she couldn't stop reading the hateful comments.

"I found myself really listening to what people were saying and thinking, even though it was really unhealthy for me mentally," she told BI, adding that she had to delete X and limit comments on TikTok to "avoid all the negativity."

South Africa's Department of Home Affairs launched an investigation into Adetshina's citizenship following a request from the Miss South Africa organization.

In a statement released on August 7, the department said it had reason to believe that Adetshina's mother may have stolen the identity of a South African woman in 2001. The department added that "Adetshina could not have participated in the alleged unlawful actions of her mother, as she was an infant at the time."

The Department of Home Affairs announced on October 29 that it would strip Adetshina and her mother of their South African identity and travel documents, the BBC reported. The Miss South Africa organization and the Department of Home Affairs did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Adetshina told BI she plans to relocate to Nigeria to escape the "really toxic" environment she has experienced in South Africa, adding that she believes the situation has been "very unfair" to her.

"I've lived in South Africa for 23 years," Adetshina said. "I've played netball for the Western Cape and the Western Province. I've never ever been in a situation where I've faced this amount of hate or backlash, and I've always used my first name."

"I'm not upset about the whole identity thing," she added. "I'm upset at the fact that they already did not accept me because of my Nigerian roots."

A second chance at the crown

Adetshina withdrew from the Miss South Africa pageant on August 8, writing on Instagram that it was "for the safety and well-being of my family." Less than a week later, she was invited to compete for the Miss Nigeria title, which she won on August 31.

"I felt like it was so in alignment with what I wanted, which was to walk the Miss Universe stage," Adetshina told BI. "For me to get the offer, I still felt like it was a way for me to achieve my dreams."

Adetshina said competing at Miss Universe was "amazing" and that she'd always remember the sweet gifts the pageant fans in Mexico City gave her.

"Those were very memorable for me because I always felt like I wasn't getting the hype that most girls were getting on the social-media platforms," Adetshina said. "I think I came out as the underdog because people never really saw that coming."

Adetshina said it was tough to shake off everything she had experienced over the past few months during the competition.

"I didn't get the best experience like everyone else because I already had a very tough journey," she said. "I didn't get that joy I was looking for because I was already emotionally and mentally exhausted. I was weak most days."

"But this was something that I've always wanted," she added. "So I always tried to find something that made me happy throughout the journey."

History for Nigeria

Adetshina had already made history for Nigeria when she reached the top five of Miss Universe. Then it was just her and Miss Denmark Victoria Kjaer Theilvig onstage, holding hands as they waited to hear the winner's name.

"It was such an exciting moment for me," Adetshina told BI. "I honestly felt so proud of myself that I got to make history for Nigeria. And not only for Nigeria, it was also a very fulfilling moment for me because I got to achieve one of my dreams."

While Adetshina felt like she had a "point to prove" to her online critics, she also realized she had a point to prove to herself.

"I always felt like I wasn't really good enough, and I wasn't capable of winning or even placing," Adetshina said. "As much as I had a journey of growth and learning a lot about myself and my confidence, I was still doubting myself and not thinking so highly of myself."

"The biggest lesson I've learned is that I am capable, and I should not allow people to dictate my life and my journey," she added. "My future is always going to be in my hands."

• Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip praised winner Victoria Kjaer Theilvig's blond hair and blue eyes.
• She said the Miss Universe brand didn't need to evolve because "we already got the best here."
• The first runner-up, Chidimma Adetshina, told BI she wasn't offended by Jakrajutatip's remarks.

Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip shocked many fans last week when she said the pageant didn't need to evolve anymore because they "already got the best" with Victoria Kjaer Theilvig, who won the crown on November 16.

"We have blond and blue eyes, so we're coming to the ultimate evolution already," the CEO said when a reporter asked how she planned to evolve Miss Universe. "We don't need any more evolution here."

While some in the pageant community criticized Jakrajutatip's comments, the Miss Universe first runner-up Chidimma Adetshina — who made history as the first Miss Nigeria to place in the top five — told Business Insider they didn't faze her.

"I'm not really offended by it," she said. "Maybe that's just her perspective; maybe that's how she felt about the evolution of Miss Universe."

Adetshina added that she was disappointed to see Donald Trump Jr.'s remarks about the pageant.

"Biological & objectively attractive women are allowed to win beauty pageants again. WE ARE SO BACK," Trump Jr. wrote in a message on X on November 18, which Jakrajutatip and Miss Universe co-owner Raul Rocha shared on their Instagram pages.

"All the queens that were crowned are so beautiful in their own different ways, so for him to make a comment like that, I feel like he was disregarding all the past queens," Adetshina told BI. "I can understand why people didn't really like a comment like that and why it was causing a spark on social media."

Representatives for Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.

A pageant of mixed messages

When Jakrajutatip took over the Miss Universe brand in October 2022, she promised to "evolve the brand for the next generation" in a statement sent to BI.

Starting in 2023, the organization began allowing married women and mothers to compete. In September of that year, it was also announced that women over 28 would be allowed to participate.

Adetshina praised Miss Universe's progress, pointing to the many contestants who made history at this year's competition. Still, she believes there's still more to be done.

"I feel like they have done a lot this year," Adetshina said. "We had so many women who are mothers, who are married; we really had the year of breaking stereotypes and just being so inclusive."

"So I feel like we're getting somewhere," she said, "but the organization can do better."

Jakrajutatip previously received backlash when a video from an October 2023 Miss Universe staff meeting was leaked. The footage, which was obtained by BI, shows the CEO telling her staff that diverse pageant contestants "can compete, but they can't win," calling it a "communication strategy."

In a February statement on her Facebook page, Jakrajutatip said she was discussing a potential Miss Universe reality show rather than the competition.

Representatives for Jakrajutatip and the Miss Universe organization did not respond to requests for comment.

As the chatter surrounding Miss Universe continues, Adetshina hopes more people focus on the "amount of work that beauty queens put in to achieve their dreams."

"I really wish more people knew what beauty queens go through because each and every one of us has a different journey," she said.

Adetshina's own journey to the Miss Universe stage was tumultuous . She was invited to compete in the Miss Nigeria pageant after she had to withdraw from Miss South Africa following xenophobic online attacks about her Nigerian name (Adetshina was born in South Africa, but her father is from Nigeria).

"People underestimate beauty queens," Adetshina added. "We always think it's just about the crown and the walk, but you get to empower and inspire a lot of people."

• Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip said the pageant no longer needs to evolve.
• Referring to the new winner, Victoria Kjaer Theilvig's blonde hair and blue eyes, Jakrajutatip said, "We already got the best."
• Jakrajutatip previously came under fire for saying diverse women "can compete, but they can't win."

Shortly after Victoria Kjaer Theilvig was named the new Miss Universe on Saturday, she sat down for a press conference with the pageant's CEO, Anne Jakrajutatip.

Theilvig is an accomplished dancer, beauty entrepreneur, and mental health advocate who uses her platform to share her story about overcoming abuse. But when a reporter asked Jakrajutatip about the evolution of the Miss Universe pageant, she fixated on Theilvig's looks.

"Evolution?" the CEO asked, her eyes widening as she sat alongside Theilvig in a clip of the interview posted on Instagram by the pageant blog @roadtomissusa. "Evolution? We have blonde and blue eyes, so we're coming to the ultimate evolution already. We don't need any more evolution here. We already got the best here."

However, last year, Jakrajutatip said she would create a diverse pageant "for all women around the world."

Some critics within the pageant world said this is the latest example that Jakrajutatip's promises for Miss Universe may only be skin deep.

Representatives for Miss Universe and Jakrajutatip did not respond to a request for comment.

'A pageant I can turn into a platform'

Jakrajutatip was in the audience at Miss Universe 2018 when Angela Ponce became the first transgender woman to compete.

It had been six years since Donald Trump, who owned Miss Universe from 1996 to 2015, overturned a decision by the organization to ban women who weren't biologically born female.

"I stood up and applauded for her. I cried, and she also cried on the stage," Jakrajutatip, who is transgender, told Them during a June 2023 interview.

"That moment, I thought, 'This is it. This is a pageant I can turn into a platform, and it must be a women's empowerment platform,'" she added.

Jakrajutatip echoed these sentiments in a statement to Business Insider after she acquired the Miss Universe brand — which oversees all competing countries, including Miss USA — in October 2022.

"We seek not only to continue its legacy of providing a platform to passionate individuals from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and traditions but also to evolve the brand for the next generation," she said.

The following year, Jakrajutatip announced that women over 28 could compete for the first time in the pageant's history. It followed a rule change that allowed married women and mothers to enter the competition.

"From now on, it's going to be run by women, owned by a trans woman, for all women around the world," Jakrajutatip promised in her first speech on the Miss Universe stage.

A secret tape reveals a secret strategy

Behind the scenes, Jakrajutatip appeared to say something very different.

In an October 2023 video obtained by BI, the CEO told her staff that diverse pageant contestants "can compete, but they can't win," calling it a "communication strategy."

In a February statement on her Facebook page, Jakrajutatip said she was instead discussing a potential Miss Universe reality show rather than the competition.

When asked to comment on the video amid BI's investigation into Miss Universe and Miss USA in July, a Miss Universe spokesperson said that the organization remains committed to "the core values we have diligently defended over the years, promoting inclusion, transparency, and integrity, which will not be swayed by unfounded allegations."

A month after the video was recorded, the 72nd Miss Universe pageant was held. For the first time, a trans contestant, a plus-sized contestant, and a mother all made it to the top 20. None of them won.

There were more historic firsts at Saturday's pageant: the first contestant with vitiligo, the first to wear a hijab, and the first 40-year-old. None of them placed in the top 30.

Miss Universe's identity crisis

There have been subtle shifts in the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants since Jakrajutatip took over the organization.

The contestants are no longer asked questions about hot-button social issues. Their philanthropies are rarely mentioned, and there have been more controversies.

Jakrajutatip shocked pageant fans when, on October 24, she went on an Instagram Live with Miss Universe's president advisor Osmel Sousa — who once told The New York Times that inner beauty "was something that unpretty women invented to justify themselves" — and began judging the photos of the 125 women competing this year.

In some clips reposted on TikTok, the two can be seen making faces, laughing, or grimacing at certain contestants.

Jakrajutatip and Miss Universe president Raul Rocha — who became a co-owner this year after Jakrajutatip's company sold 50% of its shares to him amid ongoing financial struggles — also endorsed comments by Donald Trump Jr. and Elon Musk praising Theilvig's appearance.

"Biological & objectively attractive women are allowed to win beauty pageants again. WE ARE SO BACK," Trump Jr. wrote in a message on X on Monday, which Jakrajutatip and Rocha posted on their Instagram stories.

Representatives for Sousa, Rocha, Trump Jr., and Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

Jakrajutatip also shared a screengrab on her Instagram grid of a message that Musk had posted to X on Monday. It featured a picture of Theilvig with the headline: "Breaking: Internet Stunned After an Attractive Biological Female Human of Healthy Weight Wins Miss Universe Pageant."

Theilvig shares many similarities with every past Miss Universe winner: She is cisgender, under 29, unmarried, without children, and not plus-sized.

The most historic part of her win is that she's the first contestant from Denmark to take the title, joining a group of recent winners who hail everywhere from Nicaragua and India to the USA and South Africa. Theilvig is also the first blonde to win the title in 20 years.

'Treating us like Barbies'

While the Miss Universe leaders have been pleased with recent attention from Musk and Trump Jr., their endorsement hasn't gone unnoticed in the pageant community.

Alyssa Klinzing, who won Miss Kansas Teen USA in 2013 and Miss Kansas USA in 2019, told BI she withdrew from a judging panel for Miss Houston USA — the largest local pageant in the US — because she could no longer support the organization.

"The more I sat with it, the more I realized I would not enter this pageant today," she said. "There are people who want to do good in this industry, but they're being overshadowed by people who are treating us like we're Barbies, like the contestants are dolls without real feelings."

"If I'm not willing to do it myself, there's no way I can, in good faith, sit on a judging panel and pretend to be excited to select a representative to potentially go to Miss USA and Miss Universe," Klinzing added.