Miss Iceland quits beauty pageant after being told she's 'too fat'

Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir says she was instructed to "stop eating breakfast, eat just salad for lunch and drink water every evening until the contest."

By Sarah Boesveld

October 27, 2016

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Photo, @arnayr/Instagram.

Miss Iceland will not starve herself to win your glitzy Las Vegas beauty pageant, thank you very much.

Arna Ýr Jónsdóttir quit the Miss Grand International beauty contest this week after pageant organizers told her she'd have a much better chance in the finals if only she lost weight.

Another crown-seeking contestant might have quietly obeyed. Not Jónsdóttir. The athletic 20-year-old not only bailed on the pageant, she publicly called out Miss Grand for sending the message that contestants should develop unhealthy habits if they want to succeed.

According to Jónsdóttir, pageant staff said her shoulders were too broad and her body "too fat." The former contestant told the Iceland Monitor she was directed to "stop eating breakfast, eat just salad for lunch and drink water every evening until the contest." The winner of Miss Iceland 2015 quit on the spot and announced this beauty contest would be her last.

The former gymnast and member of Iceland's national athletics team penned a handwritten resignation letter to pageant owner and president Nawat Itsaragrisil and posted it on Instagram.

In the meantime, Jónsdóttir followed that Insta post with another quick announcement: "I'm gonna stay in Las Vegas [a]...explore the city, eat good food and enjoying the time I have here."