Miss World 2013 Megan Young’s effort to fix Miss Botswana Lesego Chombo’s hair during a live broadcast of the recently concluded event at the 71st Miss World Pageant coronation night has ignited to a global discussion among netizens.
Several netizens have shared their views that the act of touching someone else’s hair is perceived as “rude” and “disrespectful” within various social and cultural settings.
Meanwhile, the former beauty queen titleholder issued a statement to her Facebook page to address the controversy, saying that she wanted to “offer a helping hand” but had failed to “oversee the bigger picture.”
“This could have caused distress during that moment and I have been made aware that culturally, this is unacceptable,” Young stated.
Young had privately apologized to Chombo, stating, “We have spoken privately last night at the hotel and I have apologized to Lesego in private.”
Young admitted failing to see the bigger picture and causing potential distress to Lesego Chombo, stating, “To those who witnessed the incident, I also want to apologize for any discomfort or confusion my actions may have caused. It was a thoughtless and disrespectful act, and I take full responsibility for it.”
The statement clarified that Megan Young did not intend to invade Chombo’s personal space, emphasizing her responsibility to exercise greater mindfulness in her actions, stating, “I assure you that it was not my intention to invade personal space or make anyone feel uncomfortable. I deeply regret my actions and will strive to be more mindful and respectful in the future.”
Chombo also intervened to shield Young from the controversy by publicly urging everyone to refrain from disparaging the Miss World 2013 titleholder.
“I appreciate that you are all looking out for me, but it really doesn’t make me feel any good when you bring other people down in my name or for my sake. Please be kinder, please,” she said in a Facebook post
“To Krystyna, to Megan, be kinder,” she noted, referring to Young and the new Miss World, Krystyna Pyszkova of the Czech Republic.
