Claims of topless ‘body checks’ at Miss Universe Indonesia beauty pageant sparks police probe
- Seven Miss Universe Indonesia finalists have filed police complaints against the contest organisers alleging sexual harassment, their lawyer said
- Some say they were photographed topless. One of the complainants told a press conference she was asked to pose inappropriately by opening her legs
The complaint came after the seven finalists in the contest, held in the capital Jakarta from July 29 to August 3, were unexpectedly asked to strip for a supposed body check two days before the pageant’s crowning ceremony.
They said the organisers asked five of them to strip to their underwear for physical examinations in a room with more than 20 people, including men. They were then photographed topless, said their lawyer, Mellisa Anggraeni.
Officials from the licence holder of Miss Universe in Indonesia, PT Capella Swastika Karya, insisted they had “to examine any scars, cellulite or tattoos on their bodies”, Anggraini said on Tuesday.
“The finalists were not aware that they would be subjected to such a procedure, as it was originally planned to be a fitting,” she said.
She said all 30 finalists in the pageant were subjected to the unexpected body check.
The number of contestants coming forward with complaints could rise, she said, as more finalists have given her the authority to report the incidents.