Things To Know About Madison Anderson, The New Miss Universe Puerto Rico

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Madison Anderson, 23, was happy to be crowned the new Miss Universe Puerto Rico, but her new crown has come with a lot of criticism. She has been under fire for not being boricua or Puerto Rican enough, according to some. The stunning blonde, who represented the municipality of Toa Baja in the beauty pageant, was born in Orlando, Florida, to a Puerto Rican mother and American father.

Many have shamed her on social media (using #NoMeRepresenta) for not being born on the island, for not representing the Puerto Rican culture properly, or not speaking Spanish fluently. She has also been accused of wanting to represent Puerto Rico because she didn't get far enough when she first tried to represent the United States as a Miss Florida Teen USA contestant in 2014 and Miss Florida USA in 2019.

Not letting criticism overwhelm her, the new queen clapped back at haters. "I feel very proud of my process, of my work," she said in an interview with WAPA TV after being crowned. “It's a mission to be a voice and say that Puerto Rico is more than a language - it's its culture, its traditions and the love you have for Puerto Rico. It's very important for people to know that being boricua is something that runs in your blood,”she added, defending her Puerto Rican identity.

Others, like former Miss Universe, Puerto Rican actress, model and TV host Zuleyka Rivera, have stood by Anderson. Rivera posted videos on Instagram “de chinchorreo,” partying and hanging out with Anderson and other Puerto Rican beauties around the island.

Puerto Rican TV host Carmen Dominicci also defended the new Miss Universe Puerto Rico with a post on Facebook. "I give my opinion not only as a boricua, but as a journalist, former beauty contestant and juror of beauty pageants," Dominicci wrote. "I am surprised by this group of people that claim that the new queen 'doesn't represent them' because she is not a 'boricua de pura cepa', because she wasn't born in Puerto Rico, doesn't look boricua, has a gringo name and doesn't speak Spanish. My question is: Who decides who is Puerto Rican and who isn't? Do we now have police of Puerto Rican identity ?,”she continues in her post. “Being Puerto Rican is not defined by a place of birth, last name or physical appearance. Being Puerto Rican is a choice, a state of the soul.”

Anderson - who studied fashion design, marketing and public relations - expressed in the pageant her interest in helping victims of domestic abuse and said she wants to help non-profit organizations such as Hogar Ruth in Puerto Rico. She also looks forward to representing Puerto Rico at the Miss Universe pageant, where she hopes to continue breaking stereotypes. In an Instagram post, she showed her gratitude for winning the crown and wrote, “Every summer and Christmas that I spent in the land of my grandparents and the rest of my family increased the love for my roots and today I can proudly say that # BeingBoricuaIsInYourBlood and in your heart.”