Fall From Grace: How An International Pageant Queen Ended Up In Handcuffs

While there are many misconceptions about beauty pageants, competitors are not only supposed to be beautiful but also to serve as representatives for their region. This means their behavior and actions must also be good, at the risk of causing scandal or even being stripped of their title.

Recently, a beauty queen’s behavior went further than a title stripping — and landed her in front of a judge.

In 2021, the 9th Miss Grand International pageant took place in Thailand. Vietnam’s representative, Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, beat out the competition to be named Miss Grand International, a title that came along with a 60,000 USD cash prize.

After her win, Thuy Tien’s following only grew, creating opportunities for her online. This resulted in a joint venture between Thuy Tien and two other influencers called Kera Supergreens Gummies.

The gummies, which were heavily advertised by Thuy Tien, were claimed to have the equivalent amount of fiber found in a full plate of vegetables.

Earlier this year, an investigation was launched into these gummies, with reports finding the claims were false  — the product actually contained 16mg of fibre, a fraction of the 200mg that was advertised. It was also found that the product was 35 per cent sorbitol, which is used as a laxative.

Thuy Tien was arrested on May 19, and charged with consumer fraud after initially being fined and apologizing.

More than 100,000 boxes of the gummies were reportedly sold before sales were stopped due to the scandal.