Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir of Reykjavik earned the titles Miss Iceland and Miss EM but made the brave decision to drop out of the Miss Grand International event in Las Vegas after being told that she needed to lose weight. According to the official website, the event is the world’s leading international beauty pageant as well as one of the 5 Grand Slam Beauty Pageants alongside Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss International, and Miss Supranational. Their mission is to “make a stand for the betterment of humanity.” The description continues quite laboriously about the end to war, violence, and other peaceful ideals. Jónsdóttir told the Iceland Monitor that the owner of the contest advised her to “stop eating breakfast, eat salad for lunch” four days before the final show. She responded by saying, “If [he] really wants me to lose weight and doesn’t like me the way I am, then he doesn’t deserve to have me in the top 10.” The 20-year-old isn’t leaving it at that. She is an international model for NIKE, where she can embrace her “sporty body.” Fans are comparing her to the ever fierce Katniss Everdeen and while we can see some similarities, we can also see that she is paving her own legacy. Continue reading to learn more about Arna and to read her official goodbye letter to the man that shamed her.Arna just quit the Miss Grand International pageant in Las Vegas after the owner, Nawat Itsaragrisil, suggested she shed a few before the final show. He reportedly sent this message to her four days before the final show.
She has more of an athletic build than some of her competitors — she’s been practicing gymnastics since she was 10 years old — but does that warrant being given weight loss advice? Not a chance.
“My past has made me who I am today. I’m so proud to be one of the faces for Nike and if I would not have my sporty body I would never have gotten this huge opportunity to work with NIKE,” Arna wrote on Instagram.
