Taking over the Miss Universe YouTube channel’s recent live stream, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray has come forward to address mental health challenges in the pageant industry, urging fans, delegates, and international organisations to do their part to make the environment safer and more positive for everybody.

Paying tribute to the recent demise of Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst, who struggled with high-functioning depression before her untimely death, the diva emphasised the fact that pageantry now exists entirely online, which is both a wonderful and a harmful thing.

Catriona said, “Most of our platforms are now elevated to exist almost solely, if not for the most part, on social media, and it's great. It allows me as a representative to reach out to an audience to have an impact, to have their voices heard. But it also gives millions of people access to an individual.”

“There are two different sides of pageantry, there's either the really positive side—I feel empowered, I feel confident, I feel like I have a voice, I have a platform. And then there's the other side where I feel pressured, I've been the subject of bullying, shaming, I've been pulled down. I just think it's a really sad thing that it's so polarizing in that way," she further added.

Recognizing that there will always be trolls and detractors in the world of pageantry, Gray urged fans, worldwide organizations, and legislators to do their bit in promoting mental health awareness. "To organizational bodies and even pageant communities that exist online, please take a stand. Do not tolerate that type of commentary on your platforms. There are certain tools that you can utilize, filtering words or having social media managers that filter out the really below-the-belt, terrible comments. Just make the stand that this is not tolerable in our community," she said.

“If you're a fan of pageantry, please know the difference and the boundary between feedback and outright bashing. Derogatory terms, harsh critique, and unkind words are better left unsaid,” she mentioned.

The former Miss Universe went on to share that she, too, has been a victim of online hate speech, and that it can be exhausting when there are hundreds of comments. Gray urged to her fellow representatives and prospective delegates that they reach out to their followers who are aggressively criticizing other contenders, something she herself has done in the past and to keep lifting each other.