Miss Iceland Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir Quits Miss Grand International After Being Told She’s Too Fat

Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir, Miss Iceland 2015, has quit the Miss Grand International beauty pageant in Las Vegas after allegedly being body-shamed by Nawat Itsaragrisil, the pageant’s owner.

MISS ICELAND QUITS AFTER BEING BODY-SHAMED

Jónsdóttir left the competition in protest of the vicious comments, and garnered a lot of support on her way out. The incident leaves a sour taste in our mouths, especially after the comments made by Donald Trump about Miss Universe winner Alicia Machado.

“Stop eating breakfast, eat just salad for lunch and drink water every evening until the contest,” a message to Jónsdóttir said. “[Itsaragrisil] is telling you this because he likes you and wants you to do well in this contest.”

Her response came not from shame, but from pride at her own body. “If the owner of the contest really wants me to lose weight and doesn’t like me the way I am, then he doesn’t deserve to have me,” she told the Iceland Monitor. “Yes, my shoulders are a bit broader than the other girls, but that is because I was a member of the Icelandic national athletics team and I am proud of that. Of course, I don’t take these comments to heart, but to do my best then hear this… Personally, I think I’m fine as I am.”

Jónsdóttir took to Instagram multiple times to share her thoughts, including a letter she wrote to Itsaragrisil explaining her decision to leave.

“I no longer have any interest in doing my best in this competition after receiving that message,” Joónsdóttir concluded. “This is definitely the last contest I shall be taking part in.”