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Olivia O'Neil stripped of beauty crown for dyeing hair
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In the U.S., we have underage drinking, posing for Playboy and sex tapes that get you stripped of your beauty pageant title. In New Zealand, they have hair dye. How quaint.15-year-old Olivia O'Neil has been forced to return her Miss Teen Wanganui crown after a pageant organizer saw her Facebook photos with her newly-dyed brown hair, reports the New Zealand Herald.
The organizer in question is Barbara Osborne, who saw the pictures and asked if it was a wig. "I hope it is, don't give me heart failure," Osborne said to O'Neil.
When O'Neil replied that it was not a wig and that if it wasn't "pageant worthy" to have brown hair, then maybe pageants were not for her, Osborne said, "Well, you better decide, miss. Hand over your crown with an attitude like that. I'm sure someone will step into your place with manners."
When Olivia handed over the crown, she said Osborne told her she "would not go far in this world." New pageant spokesman Jevan Goulter onfirmed that Olivia was stripped of her crown because she did not "maintain the image she had when she won it." He also confirmed that Osborne was removed from the organization.
Sheesh, kiwis.
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Put Assborne under solitary confinement, she has gone nuts!
You dont strip a 15 yr old beauty queen of her title, just because of her hair, and tell her that she is not going to go far in life, maybe she is about to flip over. Ha ha ha
No worries, Olivia, If you are beautiful, you are beautiful. And, Assborne has given you worldwide publicity. Should thank her. Ha ha ha
American here, and I call on all you sane thinking New Zealanders to grab some eggs and make sure Mrs Osborne gets what she deserves.
What a terrible thing to do to a 15yr. old...She is beautiful no matter what her haircolor is...Mz.Azzborne is a terrible person to tell a 15yr. old that she won't gto far in life because she colored her hair...Whatta putz...!!!
Served!! Beyatch!
ok i get that beauty contests are based primarily on a narrow definition of superficial beauty and if, like me, that doesn't fly right with you, to just steer clear of them, or in olivia's case, to remove yourself from that lifestyle once you know the truth. but i'd been under the presumption that many pageants, while mainly focusing on appearance, do look a little beyond skin-deep measures of beauty (a supermodel lookalike with a big heart is going to be more apt to win than one with an ugly heart).
i also get that it would be only following the guidelines to have olivia hand back her crown for dyeing her hair *if* and only if such a thing was clearly stated as being against the rules. if that were the case that would be one thing. to have her hand back her crown if she were never told that dyeing her hair was a no-no, that's reflects sub-par communication from the pageant officials to the contestants.
but the fact that this woman reacted with such quotes as "don't give me heart failure," and that this girl would "not go far in life," and that she had an attitude problem is horrendous behavior. from what i've read, all olivia said was that if she weren't allowed to do what she wanted with her hair maybe pageant life wasn't for her, and subsequently handed back her crown. how is that a bad attitude? that's politely but firmly standing up for what you believe in. i give her props because i don't think i would have been able to do that at age 15. it doesn't sound like olivia insulted the pageant officials or anything like that. she just made the personal decision that such things were not for her anymore. i tell you that kind of ability to stand her ground firmly but diplomatically is going to get her much further in this world than the woman who essentially makes a living off of being hypercritical of teen girls.
wow she was very cute but too bad about her crown! big mistake then!