More than six women are accusing the organizers of the Indonesian Miss Universe pageant that all 30 finalists were unexpectedly asked to undergo body checks for bruises and cellulite ahead of the coronation ceremony in Jakarta in early August. According to a lawyer, photographs of five women were taken. A Jakarta city police spokesman said an investigation into the complaint had been launched.
Because the Indonesian branch of the beauty pageant also has rights to contest in Malaysia, according to the parent organization in New York, the beauty pageant will no longer be held there as well.
In a detailed post on the online platform Instagram, Poppy Capella, the Indonesian pageant’s director, denied any involvement in the physical examinations. They “never knew, ordered, demanded or permitted” that “violence or sexual harassment” was being carried out by those responsible, he wrote.
The competition took place from 29 July to 3 August in Jakarta. Dutch woman Fabienne Nicole Groeneveld was chosen as the winner. According to the Miss Universe Organization, she is allowed to compete in the Miss Universe finals in El Salvador in Central America in November, despite ending cooperation with Indonesia.
