Beauty queen stripped of her crown over controversial TikTok twerking videoAfter a TikTok video showed Miss Papua New Guinea Lucy Maino twerking, the beauty queen has been stripped of her crown. Lucy had also served as co-captain of Papua New Guinea's women’s football team.

Critics of the move say that such action is proof of the culture of misogyny and sexism in the island country.

As per reports, Lucy Maino, 25, shared a video of herself twerking on her private TikTok account. And according to The Guardian, after the clip was downloaded from her private account and shared widely on social media, it sparked intense criticism and consequently, Lucy had to face online harassment.

And while such twerking videos are a common sight on the platform, Lucy's video was singled out because netizens felt the dance was "inappropriate" for a "role model".

After the video went viral and Lucy was at the center of online hate and massive backlash, Miss Pacific Islands Pageant PNG (MPIP PNG) committee decided to 'release' Lucy, the 2019 winner of Miss Papua New Guinea, from her duties.

"After discussions with Miss Maino last week, MPIP PNG now formally advises that the reign of 2019 crowned Miss Papua New Guinea had come to an end and Miss Maino has been released with immediate effect," MPIP PNG said in a statement.

"The MPIP PNG is focused on developing young women holistically, ensuring that they grow in terms of academia, social consciousness, personal development, and exposure to a bigger brighter world with awareness of issues facing PNG and the region," the statement continued.

However, such a move by the committee has attracted criticism from all quarters. including the United Nations in Papua New Guinea calling it an instance of giving in to cyberbullying in a Facebook post.

Source : DNA India