Standing up for herself. Miss Iceland 2015, Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir, announced she’s dropping out of an upcoming beauty pageant after the contest’s owner reportedly advised her to lose weight.
According to the Iceland Monitor, Jónsdóttir, 20, was in the midst of competing in the Miss Grand International pageant in Las Vegas when the owner, Nawat Itsaragrisil, reportedly relayed a message to her that she should drop a few pounds before the finale. He allegedly told her this because he wanted her to succeed.
The blonde beauty told the Iceland Monitor that she was told via a spokesperson for Itsaragrisil to “stop eating breakfast, eat just salad for lunch and drink water every evening until the contest.”
Jónsdóttir responded by quitting the competition. “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 in the top 10,” she told the Iceland Monitor.
She said she’s proud of her athletic build, which helped her excel in gymnastics and earn a spot on the Icelandic national pole-vaulting team. “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,” she said.
The Reykjavik, Iceland, native isn’t letting the alleged comments get her down. “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,” she said. “I no longer have any interest in doing my best in this competition after receiving that message. This is definitely the last contest I shall be taking part in.”
Jónsdóttir posted on Instagram on Monday, October 24, that since she withdrew from the pageant, she’s using her free time to tour Sin City. “Guess what! I’m gonna stay in Las Vegas until 26th october. Explore the city, eat good food and enjoying the time I have here,” she wrote.
