Megan Young returned to the Miss World stage—but it seemed surrounded by controversy. The Miss World 2013 titleholder was extremely apologetic and extended her regrets through social media.
Megan's interaction with Miss Botswana candidate Lesego Chombo during the pageant's final round went viral on March 10, 2024. Lesego was one of the top four finalists. As Megan called Lesego onstage, Megan carefully *fixed* Lesego's hair before the judges asked the finalist her question for the final round.
Many were disappointed over Megan's action towards Lesego, saying it was to kill Lesego's confidence. Moreover, some netizens reportedly pointed out that touching someone's hair is rude to the people of Botswana.
"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," she explained.
In Megan's statement, she acknowledged that her action toward Lesego was culturally inappropriate. "Last night during the final, I fixed Lesego Chombo’s (Miss Botswana) hair on stage. I wanted to offer a helping hand but I 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," Megan said.
Megan further explained that she had spoken with Lesego and sincerely apologized for the oversight. "We have spoken privately last night at the hotel and I have apologized to Lesego in private. 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," she wrote.
Megan last took part in the Miss World pageant in 2019.
Lesego Chombo responds to Megan Young
Lesego did not let the hate against Megan continue. In a Facebook post, Lesego had reached out to everyone defending and alleging Megan to have sabotaged Lesego's chance to win.
Miss Botswana warmly wrote, "Batho bame, I appreciate that you are all looking out for me, but it really doesn’t make me feel good when you bring other people down in my name or for my sake. Please be kinder, please to Krystyna, to Megan, be kinder."
Over on X (formerly Twitter), people strongly expressed their disgust over the situation. Another wrote, "There was nothing to fix there, she was just trying to kill her confidence but failed."
Netizens react to Megan Young and Lesego Chombo's incident
Meanwhile, despite the two beauty queens speaking up over the incident, the Internet can't help but continue the discussion on the viral moment.
Some have referred to the incident as an act of racism, also an invasion of personal space, and disrespect against Lesego. One netizen commented on Lesego's post, "We will never sit and watch as racists make a field day out of our country... This is just a continuation of the same racial system. We are putting an end to it."
On the other hand, fellow Filipinos come to Megan's rescue. Some also apologized for not knowing the cultural differences and the implications of such behavior. But they pointed out what "fixing someone's hair" means for Filipinos.
"In the Philippines, fixing one's hair represents sisterhood, love & care," a Pinay commented on Megan's apology post. She continued, "We do apologize for not knowing your practices but we also ask you to consider that it is our way of supporting each other."
Another netizen defended Megan by saying, "We all make mistakes to others without even knowing what we have done because of our different beliefs... We as Filipinos, fixing someone's hair is an act of care and compassion towards other women. It's being friendly. Even you, you don't know our culture so we also have the right to be offended by your words."
