Megan Young says sorry amid criticism for fixing Miss Botswana’s hair

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(From left) Megan Young, Miss World Botswana Lesego Chombo. Images: Instagram/@meganbata, Instagram/@lesego_chombo

Megan Young has apologized for “failing to oversee the bigger picture” after she was slammed by netizens for fixing the hair of Miss World Botswana Lesego Chombo during the global tilt’s question-and-answer (Q&A) portion.

Young drew the ire of African pageant fans after fixing a tendril of Chombo’s hair from her face before she was asked to give her pitch to the “sharks of Shark Tank India” during the coronation night of the 71st Miss World on March 9.

This led to netizens accusing the Miss World titleholder of “witchcraft” and “jeopardizing [Chombo’s] standing” in the pageant, with many flooding her Instagram posts with criticism.

This led to the former beauty queen saying sorry through a statement on her official Facebook page on Monday, March 11, as she pointed out that she wanted to “offer a helping hand” but 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,” she wrote.

The former beauty queen said she and Chombo “spoke privately at the hotel” where she apologized for the incident “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 said.

Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Megan Young

In her statement, Young also clarified that it was “not [her] intention” to “invade” Chombo’s personal space, saying that she will be “more mindful” of her actions in the future.

“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 said.

Meanwhile, Chombo appealed to her countrymen to be “kinder” to Young and the recently crowned Krystyna Pyszková of Czech Republic, whose win also drew flak from African netizens, on her Facebook page.

“Batho bame (My people), 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,” she wrote.

Image: Screengrab from Facebook/Megan Young

Pyszková is the second Czech beauty queen to be crowned as Miss World after Taťána Kucharova in 2006. Meanwhile, Chombo was among the Top 4 with Ache Abrahams of Trinidad and Tobago.

Young, on the other hand, remains the sole Filipina who won Miss World in 2013.