Mean Girl Watch Your Back Again
For an organization based on women'south empowerment, the by one-half-decade has been marred with a agonizing number of controversies and scandals for the Miss America Organization (MAO). Amid rebranding and restructuring, the competition program has faced allegations of misogyny, leadership changes, revoked funding and accusations of bullying.
With a name like Miss America, you would envision an organizational structure based on upholding the autonomous standards of America. Unfortunately, events in recent years take put a much more tyrannical face on the system, tarnishing its reputation. Allow's accept a look at some of the mean girls (and guys) causing some of the problems.
Sam Haskell Takes the Pageant Back to Atlantic City
Subsequently only nine months, Mallory Hagan passed on the Miss America title in September 2013 because of schedule and location changes. In an email commutation between Sam Haskell, the pageant CEO, and his daughter, Mary Lane, the ii expressed affection for Hagan.
Lane wrote, "Here'south hoping you get some other skilful one!" in reference to the upcoming Miss America 2014 broadcast. Haskell replied, "It's going to exist difficult to supervene upon Mallory, but I'm hopeful!" Meanwhile, Haskell was hoping the director of development at his production company, Brent Adams, would pursue a relationship with his girl.
Haskell Turns on Hagan Because of Adams
While Mallory Hagan was the reigning Miss America, she spent time at Haskell'due south home, where she met Brent Adams, who supervised most aspects of Haskell's business and personal life. Fearing the affect a romantic relationship would take on their careers, they decided to appointment — but not until after she passed on the crown.
Haskell was vocal almost his disappointment with this development and tried to convince Adams to forget about Hagan saying, "All of this can be yours. You don't need a piece of trash like Mallory. Yous need someone with class and money like my daughter."
Tammy Haddad Calls for Punishment of Dissenters
In May 2014, MAO lath member Tammy Haddad wrote an email to Haskell encouraging him to avoid getting riled up by onetime Miss America. She referred to them as a "pile of malcontents and has-beens who blame the program for non getting them where they think they can go."
She further commented, "80% of the winners do not have the class, smarts and model for success … You have to let them go. Yous don't need them. They need yous. We too accept to punish them when they don't appreciate what we do for them."
Kate Shindle Takes Shots at Sam Haskell
Meanwhile, in 2014, Kate Shindle wrote her memoir virtually her experiences as Miss America 1998. Titled Being Miss America, the book was fix to be released in September, and she pointedly targeted Haskell. She expressed her objections to his $500,000 bacon, despite MAO operating at a arrears.
Shindle also accused Haskell of blacklisting anyone who disagreed with his leadership decisions. She declared that he would have the national organization telephone call the country-level pageants with a list of people they were non allowed to associate with if they wanted to continue participating in Miss America.
Gretchen Carlson Stands Her Ground Against Haskell and Haddad
Gretchen Carlson, Miss America 1989, had a history of butting heads with Haskell and Haddad over her desire to modernize the organisation and her refusal to attack contestants. In a 2014 e-mail sent to old Miss Americas regarding Shindle'due south volume, board fellow member Lynn Weidner asked, "Is information technology possible for each of y'all to speak out in defense of Sam and the organization?"
Carlson'due south reply was, "It'south ane thing to talk most your ain personal experience as Miss America … but totally dissimilar to attack people individually." In response, Haddad replied privately to Haskell, "Snake, just now u have no doubts as to her loyalty."
Things Get Ugly and Words Are Said
In 2014, Haskell wrote an email to Lewis Friedman, author of the Miss America telecast, requesting a script change: "Sharon [MAO President] and I have decided that when referring to a adult female who was once Miss America, we are no longer going to call her Forever Miss America … please change all script copy to reverberate that they are Old Miss Americas!"
Friedman replied, "I'd already changed "Forever" to [the C-give-and-take]. Does that work for you?" Haskell responded, "Perfect…bahahaha." Writing to Haskell, Friedman commented that Mallory was "preparing for her new career as a blimp in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade."
Haddad Plots Against Carlson
Quondam Miss America Susan Powell replied to Weidner's e-mail with a supportive response. Haddad encouraged Haskell to use the email to annoy Carlson. "Why don't you read Susan Powell'south e-mail on the board call and say it's a shame that only one Miss America has come forward to offering help in any fashion."
Carlson wasn't featured on the Miss America circulate, which was unusual considering her prominence. Shortly after that, she resigned from the MAO board, reportedly because Haskell and other board members were maligning her integrity and telling others she could not be trusted.
Lewis Friedman Has a Death Wish
In December 2014, onetime Miss America 1959, Mary Ann Mobley, passed abroad. Lewis Friedman sent an email of condolence to Sam Haskell writing, "So distressing to hear about Mary Ann Mobley." Sounds overnice, right? Except the discipline line read: "It should take been Kate Shindle."
Haskell replied, "Thanks so much, Coach … even in my sadness, you lot can make me express joy … how was the Kennedy Center Honors? Love you and appreciate yous! Sam." Friedman was a long-time screenwriter for the Kennedy Center Honors and had earned two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing for his piece of work on them in 2010 and 2012.
Haskell & Company Grow More Niggling
Sam Haskell and other board members for the Miss America Organization continued to captivate over Mallory Hagan's relationship with Brent Adams in 2015. On January 25, Lynn Weidner sent a photo of Hagan with three other "formers" to Haskell. His response was, "OMG, she is huge … and gross … why does he desire that?????"
He then forwarded the email to future board COO and President Josh Randle and other MAO board members forth with the comment, "Expect at MH in this photo … OMG … Why does he want that?" Tammy Haddad replied, "Mallory is barely recognizable."
Sam Haskell, Bully or Victim?
Past the end of 2015, Haskell was feeling "viciously and cruelly" attacked past Hagan on a daily basis and wrote an email to Haddad, Weidner and others request for assistance. Haddad replied, "I am so sad. It is ridiculous, simply she is not going to finish. She has no command. I think you should hire an investigator to get something on her."
Haskell responded, "Threatening her won't piece of work, and we already have 'enough info on her' to shut down Ft. Knox … I really think the best way is to close down her social media and convince the Formers to ostracize her."
Weidner Incriminates Herself in a Demolition Plot
While it is unclear how Mallory Hagan was allegedly attacking Sam Haskell, Tammy Haddad called them "inflammatory graphic symbol attacks." Lynn Weidner referenced cyberbullying in her Dec e-mail response to the group.
"I wish I had an like shooting fish in a barrel respond to this dilemma. If we can bear witness a direct connection between MH and specific instances of cyberbullying, we could at least threaten her with a lawsuit, right? I do believe that our anti-coaching initiatives are already impacting her concern and that our policy of ignoring her is driving her crazy!"
Ending Hagan's Career
Information technology appears that the national Miss America Organization established a policy against the use of coaches to directly target Hagan'southward concern. Subsequently her reign, Hagan was working in New York as a pageant jitney for the interview portion of the competition.
The national organization informed contestants that they would need blessing from their local and country pageant directors to use a coach. Those pageant directors were then given an informal listing of banned coaches that included Mallory Hagan'due south name on it. Soon, her business stale upwardly, and she had to return home to Alabama.
Whistleblowers or Insurrection Strategists
In August 2017, quondam Haskell employee, Brent Adams, and former MAO board fellow member, Regina Hopper, decided to approach Dick Clark Productions with the previously cited emails. Dick Clark Production execs, Amy Thurlow and Mark Bracco, who as well held seats on the Miss America lath, met with the duo and thanked them for the emails and started their own investigation.
Thurlow and Bracco approached the board with the emails expecting decisive action, but they were met with ambivalence. Lewis Friedman remained the author of the Miss America pageant telecast that September.
Failure to Human activity
Instead of taking action regarding the derogatory emails, the Miss America Organization had their police force house present Brent Adams with a finish-and-desist letter of the alphabet: "Your deliberate actions constitute a clear violation of the Non-Disclosure Agreement you knowingly and willfully entered into … the letter of the alphabet directed to the Chairman of the Board of Dick Clark Productions, dated September 13, 2017, noticed us of your illegal disclosure of information, which includes several internal email communications."
Refusing to be silenced, Adams and Hopper decided to contact the media with their prove. This led to the story breaking on HuffPost in December.
Dick Clark Productions Deals a Crippling Blow
Meanwhile, Dick Clark Productions was disgusted by the MAO board'south decision to support Haskell and Friedman and decided to end their understanding with the organisation. In a statement issued to HuffPost, the company stated:
"Several months agone, Dick Clark Productions was made aware of a portion of the emails. Nosotros were appalled by their unacceptable content and insisted, in the strongest possible terms, that the Miss America Organization board of directors carry a comprehensive investigation and take appropriate activeness to address the situation. Shortly thereafter, we resigned our board positions and notified MAO that we were terminating our human relationship with them."
The Accident Out and Backlash
In the aftermath of the leaked email scandal, Miss North Carolina 1991, Jennifer Vaden Barth, started a petition calling for the resignation of all lath members involved in the bloodcurdling behavior. Mallory Hagan forth with more than than 40 former Miss Americas signed information technology.
Haskell was promptly placed on pause pending an investigation, and inside days, Haddad and Haskell resigned, effective immediately. Josh Randle and Lynn Weidner voluntarily resigned from their positions as President and Chairman, respectively, but agreed to remain for upwardly to 90 days to assist with the leadership transition.
Haskell's Terminal Defence force
Haskell dedicated himself: "Much of what was reported is dishonest, deceptive and despicable. The material is based on individual emails that were stolen … The story is so unkind and untrue and hurts me, my family and the stewardship of this not-turn a profit. I was nether stress from a full year of attacks past two Miss Americas…"
"This was not the CEO of an organisation laughing at inappropriate jokes. This was a father whose family unit was existence attacked, and a man whose character was being assassinated daily, and that impaired my judgment when responding to the inappropriate emails. For that, I deeply apologize."
Caressa Cameron Speaks Out
Quondam Miss Americas, such every bit Caressa Cameron who was crowned in 2010, noted that the system's problems were a lack of respect and leadership and not language. Cameron revealed that merely 30 days into her reign, she experienced problems with Haskell.
When she wanted to invite her previous omnibus to her homecoming party, she recalled, "Sam Haskell said I was not to invite her. She could not come. He basically threw a temper tantrum, and then he didn't come." She was also prevented from participating in events related to her HIV/AIDS prevention platform.
Gretchen Carlson Seizes an Opportunity
Among the nearly vocal of the quondam Miss Americas, Gretchen Carlson and Kate Shindle both made themselves targets of Haskell and visitor's attacks. Both took to Twitter to call for a "thorough housecleaning of the board."
A growing consensus wanted Carlson and Shindle to have the helm and run the MAO. Carlson was elected Chairwoman of the Board of Directors on Jan 1, 2018. Onetime titleholders filled the remaining board openings on an interim footing while Carlson was supposed to conduct a national search for the new CEO.
Regina Hopper Gets Her Way
On May 17, 2018, a new form of scandal hit when Gretchen Carlson installed Regina Hopper, one of the email whistleblowers, every bit President and CEO of the Miss America Organisation. Land organizations and former Miss Americas were upset that a national search had non been conducted, equally Gretchen promised. In issue, a leadership coup had occurred within the organization.
As part of the restructuring, Carlson pushed for a Miss America 2.0 that would no longer be a pageant but a scholarship "competition," featuring "candidates" instead of contestants. She likewise removed the swimsuit contest from the programme.
Pushing People Out
Nearly one-half of the ix-person MAO board was pushed to resign afterwards fewer than six months in the position. Former winners Kate Shindle and Laura Kaeppeler Fleiss resigned in June, citing "toxic civilisation" every bit the reason backside their departure.
The previously signed resignation messages from their interim roles were used against Former Miss North Carolina, Jennifer Vaden Barth, and Quondam Miss Maine, Valerie Crooker Clemens, to force their resignations. They reported to The Wall Street Periodical that Carlson issued a letter stating they were trying to gain control of the organization in order to forcefulness them out.
The Bikini Has to Go
While the swimsuit competition had long been a sticking betoken for pageant protestors, many felt that removing it in light of the #MeToo movement was a cop-out. Miss S Carolina 2011, who has recovered from an eating disorder she developed during her contest days, said:
"I retrieve the Miss America Organization could have done something a little flake unlike and embraced people of all shapes and sizes. To me, taking it abroad completely says, 'If you're not that size, y'all don't belong in a swimsuit.' We have to change people's mindsets and let them know women are cute at all shapes and sizes."
A Scholarship Competition Without Scholarship Funds
In the weeks leading upwardly to Miss America 2019 (held in September 2018), Miss America 1991, Marjorie Vincent Tripp, resigned equally head of the Miss America Foundation. In part, she made the decision because she claimed the scholarship money awarded to Miss America was the foundation'southward responsibility.
The problem with that is 15 country directors reported their winners were refusing to sign the competition contract considering of the clause that says scholarship money is "contingent upon availability of funds in any given year." Miss America 1984, Suzette Charles, said, "It's a joke. You tin can go on any game bear witness and win more than what Miss America is offer."
Cara Mund'south Skid of the Tongue
In July, Miss America 2018, Cara Mund, made a comment at a New Jersey Dairy Queen advent: "Information technology's been a tough year. There accept been a lot of things I can't control. Information technology has felt like I wasn't always heard or utilized or appreciated."
She claims she was notified within 72 hours of her penalty for speaking out. "I was told my final farewell as Miss America would be cut to a total of thirty seconds for the national telecast." She went on to write a letter revealing the torment and bullying she suffered at the hands of Carlson, Hopper and Adams.
Cara Peels Back the Drape
In her letter to past contestants, Cara Mund asserted that "new leadership delivered an important message. There will be only i Miss America at a time, and she isn't me." Instead, Gretchen Carlson would be the focus of all Mund'south public talking points, including the merits that the "#MeToo movement started with Carlson's lawsuit."
The movement actually started with Tarana Burke in 2006 and was boosted to viral status in 2017 by Alyssa Milano. By the cease of her reign, Mund was but allowed to mail on her ain personal social media sites. MAO posted for her on all Miss America accounts.
Blaming the Victim
The organization responded to Mund'due south claims by proverb she had opportunities to give her opinion and manage her ain social media accounts. However, they also issued the argument, "It is disappointing that she chose to air her grievances publicly, non privately."
In a Twitter response, Carlson denied the accusations of bullying and blamed Mund's letter for costing the organization a $75,000 scholarship. An independent external review attributed "miscommunications and mixed messages" as the heart of the issues between Mund and MAO: "Communications surrounding branding, wear and appearance were less than clear and created confusion and frustration."
United states of america Raise Objections
Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, along with 19 other country pageant organizations, chosen for the resignations of Regina Hopper and Gretchen Carlson every bit well every bit the unabridged board in a vote of "no confidence" for "lack of transparency and adherence to all-time practices."
Among their allegations were claims that leadership lied when they said ABC would non telecast the competition unless the swimsuit program was eliminated. Country directors also objected to the contract clause that gave Hopper the unilateral right to "cause any state titleholder to forfeit her state title" without due procedure or the right to appeal.
Ruling with an Iron Fist
With the revolt of state organizations and a GoFundMe folio started by Jennifer Vaden Barth to enhance funds to legally replace the board, the Miss America Organization took decisive action, retaliating in a shocking manner by swiftly terminating the licenses of vii states.
U.s.a. cut off included Georgia, New Bailiwick of jersey, New York and Tennessee. The terminations required them to replace their current leadership and turn scholarship depository financial institution accounts over to the Miss America System. They also began threatening 15 other state organizations with probation and were quick to praise the states that were still supporting the electric current MAO leadership.
Doubling Down on Poor Give-and-take Choices
A September 2019 press release for a new scholarship doubled-down on the swimsuit controversy by stating, "In reaching out to the Miss America Arrangement, the donor made clear the important reason for the generous gift. As a young woman who wanted to compete in a local Miss America competition in the 1980s, she was discouraged by her parents considering they believed 'Miss America does not await similar u.s.a., and an educated adult female does not parade around in a swimsuit.'"
Cara Mund responded via Instagram, "Female empowerment doesn't mean insulting, alienating and discrediting the thousands of women who paved the fashion." Bite the hand that feeds you much, Cara?
Gretchen Carlson Resigns
After securing a new network partnership with NBC, Gretchen Carlson resigned from her position as board chairwoman in June 2019. She stated, "The fourth dimension is ideal to give new leadership the opportunity to move forward with what has been accomplished."
Carlson was replaced by former South Dakota secretarial assistant of state Shantel Krebs with attorney Brenda Keith serving as vice-chair. After instituting new leadership in the terminated land organizations, all 50 states, plus D.C., were eligible to compete in the 2020 competition on December 19, 2019. The swimsuit and evening gown portions of the effect are notwithstanding non part of the competition.
Source: https://www.faqtoids.com/knowledge/mean-girls-and-boys-behind-miss-america-organization?utm_content=params%3Ao%3D740006%26ad%3DdirN%26qo%3DserpIndex
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