Just 48 hours after Miss USA Noelia Voigt resigned, Miss Teen USA Umasofia Srivastava also resigned, multiple media outlets reported. (The Miss USA and Miss Teen USA titles are connected as sister pageants. Miss Teen USA contestants are between the ages of 14 and 19, and must be at least 18 years old to compete in Miss USA, but the pageant has eliminated other age restrictions.)

In a statement released on social media, 17-year-old Srivastava explained her reasons for vacating the title: "After careful consideration, I have decided to resign because my personal values no longer fully align with the direction of the organization," she wrote on Instagram. 'However, I will continue my constant advocacy for education and acceptance.'

When she resigned earlier this week, Voight cited her commitment to mental health as the reason.

Slavistava announced her decision on Wednesday, just two days after Voight announced her decision on Monday. In Voight's announcement, she mentioned Srivastava and wrote that she was grateful to her "beloved Miss Teen USA, Yumasofia."

Srivastava also expressed her gratitude in a statement, writing, "I thank my family, my state director, my sister queens, and all of my fans who have supported me since I won my state title. I will always look back fondly on my days as Miss New Jersey Teen USA and being able to represent the state as a first generation Mexican Indian American and perform at the national level was a fulfilling experience in itself."

Srivastava said she will focus on finishing her senior year of high school." As a member of the National Honor Society, I will begin the college application process." I know that my academic career has been defined by my hard work, and only my hard work. While admitting that she "never thought my reign would end" without completing her tenure, she wrote that she is looking forward to the future and that "at the end of the day, I am very fortunate to have had this experience.

Srivastava, author of the multilingual children's book "The White Jaguar," wrote that her work with the charity "has always been my true purpose" and that she had been "wrestling with the decision" to give up her title for several months. Following her resignation, Miss Teen USA's official Instagram account posted a photo of Srivastava and wrote, "I respect and support your decision to step down from your UmaSofia duties. The well-being of the titleholder is our top priority. We are currently working on a plan to transfer responsibility to her successor and will announce the crowning of a new Miss Teen USA in the coming days," she wrote, in language very similar to Miss USA's response to Voight's resignation. Voight's commented on Srivastava's post, "I LOVE YOU. my angel.

The string of resignations certainly raises questions. In a statement to USA Today yesterday, Miss USA CEO and President Leila Rose said, "Miss USA's overarching goal is to celebrate and empower women. Our participants are making a real difference in this country and around the world." My personal goal as the head of this organization is to inspire women to always dream new dreams, have the courage to explore them all, and maintain integrity in the process. I hold myself to these high standards and I take these allegations very seriously. Please be assured that the well-being of everyone involved with Miss USA is my top priority."

Rose is likely referring to comments made by former Miss USA social media director Claudia Michel, which Voight shared on Instagram on Friday, three days before her resignation. Michelle writes, "I have had the privilege of working closely with Noelia, and unfortunately, since we (first) met, I have witnessed a decline in her mental health." 'I feel her ability and platform to share her story has diminished. I feel the way the current management team talks about the titleholder is unprofessional and inappropriate. I reject workplace toxicity or bullying of any kind," she continued.

In response to Michelle's comments, the Miss USA Organization released a statement to USA Today. Miss USA is committed to fostering a safe, inclusive, and collaborative environment and takes these allegations seriously. In fact, we have and will continue to put the well-being of everyone involved with Miss USA as our top priority."

Michelle wrote on social media that working with Voight and Srivastava was "a lot of fun" and called them "the definition of a true titleholder." Michelle has not been kind to the Miss USA organization, "managing all of Miss USA's social media on her own ('A brand of this level absolutely needs a social media team,' she said) and claiming that she was not paid for her first two months of work," People reported. People reports. Michelle writes, "This is a women's empowerment organization, and my hope in making this statement is to bring back to the titleholders the empowerment that has been deeply lost in their years."

She then added: "I am proud to be a part of this organization. Without them, there would be no Miss USA or Miss Teen USA. I believe their voices and stories should be heard, not silenced."

Whether it's there or not is anyone's guess, especially in light of Michelle's comments about title holders being silenced, but online sleuths dissected Voight's lengthy statement of resignation on social media and "pieced together the first letter of each sentence of her statement Together, the phrase "I AM SILENCED" emerges - though this discounts the last three sentences, the first of which spells "HIP,"" writes USA Today.

"It was not immediately clear whether the message was intentional.

In an emotional show of solidarity, many Miss USA 2023 contestants who competed for the title along with Voight have called for transparency in the organization; USA Today reports that "dozens of contestants posted a joint statement on their social media accounts to show solidarity." It reads: "The majority of the members of the Miss USA Class of 2023 support Noelia Voigt's decision to withdraw the Miss USA title. Her mental health is of utmost importance to us and we support her. We are asking the Miss USA Organization to permanently release the confidentiality NDA clause in her contract so that Noelia can speak freely about her experience and time as Miss USA. We demand a response within 24 hours. Our goal is to give Noelia her voice back. We want full transparency for contestants in 2024 and beyond."

One of the women seeking transparency is Miss North Carolina USA Jordyn McKee, who wrote on both her personal account and the official Miss North Carolina USA account, "I STAND WITH HER. As someone who has struggled with her own mental health, Noelia elia is to be commended for putting herself first and setting a beautiful example that her health comes before everything else. I am deeply saddened by the lack of transparency in the Miss USA organization.

McKee paid tribute to Miss USA 2019 Chesley Crist, who died by suicide on January 30, 2022. Prior to winning Miss USA, Crist had also represented North Carolina. McKee writes, "We recently lost Miss USA, who wore the same state on her chest as I do now." And I am a serious advocate for utilizing my voice and feeling able (and safe) to do so." It is of the utmost importance to me to remain open and candid, as it could potentially help others in the process. We cannot silence women who have experienced what the next class of Miss USA contestants are about to walk through. It needs to be addressed."