Miss Teen USA to keep crown after racial slur use discovered on Twitter

The Internet is forever, and no one is learning that lesson faster than newly crowned Miss Teen USA Karlie Hay.

Hay took the top prize at Saturday’s 2016 Miss Teen USA Competition in Las Vegas on Saturday and shortly after her victory, Twitter users discovered what appeared to be an old account utilized by the beauty queen that just so happened to have multiple instances of Hay using “the N-word.” 

Though the account has since been made private, statements released by both Hay and the Miss Universe organization, who oversees Miss Teen USA, suggest that the tweets were the responsibility of the now 18-year-old. 

The captured tweets with the inflammatory language are from 2013 and 2014, when Hay, born in December 1997, was 15 and 16. 

In her response to the controversy, Hay calls her language “inexcusable” and explains her actions by sharing that she was dealing with “personal struggles” at the time the tweets were made.

“A few years ago, I used language that is inexcusable, and I sincerely apologize for my actions. At the time, due to a number of personal struggles, I was in a place that is not representative of who I am now. Through hard work, education, maturity and thanks in large part to the sisterhood that I have come to know through pageants, I am proud to say that I am today a better person. I am honored to hold this title and I will use the Miss Teen USA platform to promote messages of confidence, inclusion and perseverance,” Hay said in her released statement.

Luckily for Hay, there don’t appear to be any lasting ramifications from her ill-advised tweets (beyond being branded on the Internet as someone who uses hate speech). The Miss Universe Organization released its own statement Sunday echoing Hay’s thoughts about inexcusable speech, but “supporting her continued growth.”

“The language Karlie Hay used is unacceptable at any age and in no way reflects the values of The Miss Universe Organization. As Karlie stated, she was in a different place in her life and made a serious mistake she regrets and for which she sincerely apologizes. Karlie learned many lessons through those personal struggles that reshaped her life and values. We as an organization are committed to supporting her continued growth,” the Miss Universe Organization’s statement read in full.

But that wasn’t the only controversy stirred up by the pageant Saturday night. When the top five contestants were announced, the organization’s official account tweeted out a photo composite, featuring all five women moving on to the final round, which revealed a conspicuous similarity between all five.

All five finalists were light-skinned, blonde-haired, light-eyed women, something that did not go without notice online. 

Coupled with the discovery of Hay’s tone-deaf tweets, the 2016 pageant didn’t prove to be a particularly positive news cycle for Miss Teen USA, despite attempts to modernize the pageant with a switch from a swimsuit category to an active-wear category, in an attempt to switch focus from sexualization to wellness, as well as the move to an all-women judging panel. 

The controversies were touched on by 2010 Miss Teen USA winner Kamie Crawford, who shared her thoughts on Twitter.

libby.hill@latimes.com

Twitter: @midwestspitfire

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