Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch was on Nov 21 crowned the new Miss Universe, a surprising culmination to what has been an exceptionally chaotic edition of one of the longest-running beauty pageants on the planet.

Earlier on Nov 4, she was

reprimanded by Mr

Nawat Itsaragrisil, a Thai media mogul who holds the licence to stage the 2025 Miss Universe pageant, in front of dozens of contestants for failing to post promotional content.

He called her a “dumb head”. Ms Bosch objected and left the room, followed by several other contestants in solidarity.

That confrontation led to Mr Nawat publicly apologising, after the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) denounced his conduct as “malicious”.

On Nov 21, Ms Bosch, 25, came out on top, edging out local favourite Miss Thailand Praveenar Singh and the candidates from Venezuela, the Philippines and Cote d’Ivoire in the finals.

During the pageant’s final round, a judge asked Ms Bosch how she would create a safe space for women as Miss Universe.

“I will put my voice in the power and the service of others,” she said. “The brave ones that stand up are the ones that will make history.”