Miss Universe has issued a clarification after Fatima Bosch’s comments sparked fresh controversy after she said she “would not advise anyone” to take part in beauty pageants.
For those who don’t know, Bosch, 25, was speaking at the Mujeres que Transformación, or “Women Who Transform” forum in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, in late March when she made the comments.
He explained that pageantry should be used with purpose. “If you have an important project that you want to give visibility to, and you see this platform as a tool to serve that purpose, then go for it,” he said at the public forum.
Bosch also talked about his experience after winning the title and said that it has been challenging.
He added, “I certainly didn’t choose to enter in the traditional sense.” “For me, it’s been very hard since winning, mainly because these pageants are not accustomed to a ‘real’ woman: a woman who doesn’t fit the exact measurements they ask for, or a woman who really has her own voice,” she said, describing the experience of serving as Miss Universe as “scary.”
In response to this, Miss Universe spokesperson Miguel Angel MartÃnez has now shared a statement. PeopleStressing that the 2026 winner’s comments were misunderstood. “Fatima’s recent comments have been subject to different interpretations on different platforms.”
The statement added, “She has made clear that her intention was not to discourage participation in the pageant or question its value, but to emphasize that it is one of many ways available to women to express their voice, purpose and ambitions.”
“For more than seven decades, Miss Universe has served as a global platform to support and advance women in a variety of fields.”
This is not the first controversy in which Bosch has been embroiled. During a pre-pageant event, she publicly challenged an officer, saying, “Because I have a voice… you’re not respecting me as a woman,” before walking out.
