Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark was crowned Miss Universe 2024 on Saturday, and avid watchers of the competition are already using the occasion to sarcastically celebrate the winner being a biological woman following the pageant's decision permitting transgender women to participate. The 21-year-old became the first Danish woman to win the dazzling event, held in Mexico City. She beat 120 other contestants in a more traditional competition than 2023 that featured plus-size, married, and transgender women.
Last year saw a transgender woman from Portugal place in the top 20. Months before the 2023 competition, 22-year-old Rikkie Valerie Kolle became the first transgender to be crowned Miss Netherlands.
This year's competition was, however, more traditional, despite the pageant recently being bought by a Thai media mogul Anne Jakapong Jakrajutatip, a transgender woman and avid supporter of trans rights. Prior to the competition, many believed it would be no different than previous years. However, after Victoria Kjaer Theilvig's victory, many social media users joked that they were surprised to see a non-transgender win the competition.
"BREAKING: Fans shocked after straight, white, biological woman wins Miss Universe 2024,' wrote popular political commentator Matt Wallace, per Daily Mail. "The tides are turning the woke virus is on the run. Hold the line," said another social media user.
"Yes an actual white biological female won the pageant - the World is healing," one user posted on X. "Oh look! A woman won Miss Universe this year!" another X user commented.
Even billionaire Elon Musk joked about the pageant, posting a caption-less meme. "Breaking: internet stunned after an attractive biological female human of healthy weight wins Miss Universe pageant," the picture read.
In 2023, the pageant updated its guidelines to promote "social inclusion". However, the move sparked a massive backlash online and even saw former Miss Universe winners resigning their titles in protest. Top executives of the competition were also caught between a rock and a hard place after a conversation about how women from nontraditional backgrounds simply "cannot win" the pageant.
Notably, Angela Ponce, the first trans woman to compete at Miss Universe, paved the way a few years earlier when she became the first openly trans woman to be crowned Miss Spain.
