Miss Ukraine 2018 Was Stripped of Her Crown for Being a Mom

Last month, Veronika Didusenko was crowned Miss Ukraine 2018, only to have her title taken away from her shortly after. The reason? Because she’s divorced and a mother. Having been married and having a child are both against pageant rules.

“She gave birth when she was 19, and then divorced. I think it is wrong to position such a person as a role model for others to follow,” a jury member of the Ukraine pageant recently said in a press conference.

Although the model admits to lying to the organization, she says it was for good reason.

“While it’s true that Veronika Didusenko reported false information, she did so to draw attention to the discriminatory practices, ones that correspond only to the time and the standards of the era when they were created,” explains a press release Didusenko shared online.

Now, the 23-year-old is becoming a champion for women’s rights and to end discrimination against mothers. In the short time since her title was revoked, she’s already grabbed international attention.

“Not such a long time ago, I was wearing a crown of Miss Ukraine 2018, a crown which would allow me to represent my country at the Miss World contest in China. I wanted to tell the world a unique story of my country—home of truly heroic and freedom-loving people,” she says on Instagram.

Using the hashtag “#RighToBeAMother,” Didusenko fights not only for moms everywhere, but to abolish the “archaic” pageant rules.

“My right to represent my country on the global scene was taken away from me because of the rules written 70 years ago. The archaic rules ban mothers from the Miss Ukraine contest. The discriminatory rules which were written when racial segregation was still the norm,” she says.

Throughout her post, she raises some pretty valid points.

“Worldwide, the number of girls who participate in this contest amounts to millions. Millions of women are allowed to participate only if they don’t have children. In 2018, this is simply not right,” the mom protests. “This discrimination on the grounds of motherhood must end.”

Determined to change the landscape, Didusenko started a fundraising campaign on a global scale.

“With your help, I will take the fight for the abolition of this disgraceful, prehistoric rule to every major global capital. Time to stand up for a women’s right not to be punished for being a mother.”