From queen to queen: Advice with a taste of déjà vu (and a lot of drama)
Imagine winning the most important beauty pageant on the planet and that your crown, instead of shining, comes with a survival kit to navigate a minefield of controversies. That is basically the unofficial bootcamp that Fátima Bosch, the Mexican Miss Universe 2025, is experiencing. But don’t worry, because in your DMs the *ping* of an ally who knows the recipe already sounded: Alicia Machado, the queen of 1996 who lived her own reality show of controversies, from the famous “case of the kilos” to those who still today say that she didn’t deserve to win. His message was clear: “Sister, welcome to the club of questioned crowns.”
Things got intense in a recent interview with Telemundo, where Fátima, instead of being asked about her projects or her favorite shampoo, was confronted with the heavy issues surrounding the organization: from the legal case of co-owner Raúl Rocha Cantú – accused of trafficking in drugs, weapons and fuel – to the defamation complaint filed against her by Nawat Itsaragrisil, director of Miss Thailand. Alicia, watching this from her house, must have had a flashback to those 90s and thought: “Here we go again.”
The survival manual according to Machado: Hire a ‘human shield’
But Alicia didn’t just stop at the standard congratulations. She went straight into strategic consultant mode and gave the advice that we all need in life, but especially if you’re a queen under crossfire: “You move on, you don’t have to talk about anything that’s going on around you.” Millennial translation: “Girl, don’t feed the troll. Your job is to shine, not to be the spokesperson for other people’s problems.” And he finished off with “don’t let even a dollar be taken away from you,” because in the end, reign is also a job.
His specific proposal was so specific that it even has a job title on LinkedIn: Growth Manager. Basically, a crisis and personal growth manager that acts as a shield, filter and simultaneous translator. Someone who, before each interview, explains to Fátima which questions are her territory (female empowerment, her social initiatives) and which are a swamp from which she should not leave (third party legal disputes). And be careful, he speaks several languages, because the controversy, like bad taste, is international.
Machado emphasized what the true role of a Miss Universe is: representing women in all their facets – intellectual, spiritual, political, social and physical. A job that, according to her, Telemundo minimized with questions that it described as lack of respect. His support for Fátima was total: “You have all my support my queen and moving forward.” A message that is half sorority, half tactical manual to survive in the era of hate and viral comments.
In the end, this story is more than just advice. It is a pass of the baton between generations of queens who have had to fight for their legitimacy in the midst of the scandal. Alicia, who was the prototype of media queen in the 90s, now passes the toolkit to Fátima to survive in the digital age, where every word is analyzed, memed and criticized in real time. The underlying message is powerful: the crown is heavy, but tough skin and a good strategy are the best accessories.
Do you think beauty pageants should evolve to better protect their winners from controversy?Share this note and tag anyone who needs a Growth Manager in their life. Explore more on our site about the most iconic (and controversial) moments of Miss Universe.
