On Sep. 13, 2025, the Miss Universe Mexico pageant was held in Jalisco to determine who would represent the country at the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Thailand. The winner, however, has received mixed reviews from spectators and her fellow contestants.
Fatima Bosch of Tabasco was declared the winner of Miss Universe Mexico, and videos of her crowning quickly garnered international attention. Only 4 out of 31 contestants went up to congratulate her and celebrate onstage. The rest were later revealed to have been backstage, cheering on the second runner-up, Yoana Gutierrez. When the announcement was first aired, the main focus was the beautiful and wholesome moment Bosch shared with the four other girls. However, when the backstage videos were posted, the attention quickly fell on the remaining contestants, specifically Gutierrez—for their poor sportsmanship. What was first thought to be an awkward tension between contestants turned into an alleged bullying scandal.
Gutierrez, representing Jalisco, was the local favorite and favorite among the contestants due to her experience and seniority. Having been in the pageant realm since 2012, she was deemed as the most deserving and expecting of the title. Bosch, on the other hand, had only won one major pageant prior to being crowned Miss Universe Mexico, and was seen as both inexperienced and “not a good representation of Mexico” by critics. Some contestants who chose not to congratulate Bosch later gave statements on social media providing their reasoning as to why.
Camila Canto, representing the state of Puebla, said on an instagram story: “A real sisterhood isn’t about faking smiles in front of cameras” and “For me, Fatima did not deserve to win”. Gutierrez, on the other hand, never gave an official response as to why she didn’t congratulate Bosch, but shared posts online defending her actions and simply said “I don’t care what people post about me online because their comments do not define me”.
When interviewed, Bosch had a statement of her own, which she gave the night of her crowning after she got offstage. She stated that she hoped to build a true sisterhood with the other contestants and that despite many of their answers to questions onstage relating to being supportive of other women, she only received genuine support from the four girls that joined her onstage. She described a “lack of professionalism” from the remaining 27 contestants and invited anyone who may have misconceptions of her to take the time to get to know her as a person.
When it came to the public’s opinion on Bosch, many believed she was beautiful, but not a typical Mexican beauty. The issue many fans brought up is that Bosch has very European features, which not many people in Mexico share. Critics expressed their disappointment with the results and accused the judges of picking her to support colorist ideals through the pageant. This belief was shared through various comments left online, such as “Her last name isn’t even Mexican”, and “They chose the least-Mexican looking girl”.
Despite not being an indigenous Mexican by blood, Bosch was born and raised in Mexico and has dedicated her time outside of pageants volunteering at local hospitals and trying to promote education and positivity to underserved communities in Mexico. To most, her efforts along with her beauty and charisma capture the qualities of an honorable woman to represent Mexico.
Amongst all the controversy and criticism, Bosch has stayed grateful and optimistic about the upcoming Miss Universe pageant she advanced to, which will take place in Thailand on Nov. 21. The highly anticipated Miss Universe pageant can be watched live on YouTube TV, Peacock and Telemundo!
