“A crown should never silence a woman,” he said in his defense.
News Colombia.
Laura Gallego, who recently held the title of Miss Antioquia, became the center of an intense controversy after a video went viral in which she launched harsh criticism against President Gustavo Petro and the former mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero. The beauty queen’s words were interpreted by many as a call to violence, generating outrage and a wave of comments on social networks that demanded a response from the organization of the National Beauty Contest and from the candidate herself.
Here, the controversial statements of the former beauty queen:
Is called @LauraGallegoSo2: Miss Antioquia 2025, will participate in the National Beauty Reign in Cartagena. She is sharing this video on social media, where she asks for “a bullet” to @QuinteroCalle and “at least a piece of shit” for the president @petrogustavo. Can… pic.twitter.com/ArWcrILdLc
— Jorge Gómez Pinilla (@Jorgomezpinilla) October 26, 2025
In the midst of media pressure and criticism, Gallego decided to present his resignation from the title, accompanying it with a forceful message in which he defended his right to express himself politically. In a video published on her social networks, the young paisa stated that her decision was due to her desire not to be silenced for wearing a crown and not to sacrifice her voice or her ideals to maintain a title.
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“A crown should never silence a woman,” declared the former queen, stressing that her brief participation in the pageant had fulfilled its purpose: to demonstrate that queens should not only be valued for their beauty, but also for their intellectual capacity and political judgment. “Wearing the crown meant staying silent for more than a year,” she added, evidencing the frustration generated by having to avoid talking about topics that she is passionate about.
During her speech, Gallego also referred to the role of women in the ppolitics and criticized the limitations that—according to her—continue to be imposed in scenarios where freedom of thought should prevail. “Restricting women from talking about politics takes us back more than 70 years”she emphasized, adding that her resignation was a way to vindicate the voice of Antioquia women, whom she wanted to represent from intelligence and character, not just from appearance.
The former queen took advantage of her statement to launch a direct criticism of the National Beauty Contest, ensuring that the contest regulations did not prohibit talking about politics before entering, but that this restriction was implemented later. “You don’t know how frustrating it was for me that they talked to me about politics all day and I said: ‘No, please, don’t bring it up,’ when it’s what I like to talk about the most,” he expressed in his message.
Finally, Laura Gallego closed her statement by highlighting that her experience, although brief, made it clear that beauty and intelligence are not at odds. “Objective accomplished: to demonstrate that beauty and intelligence are not at odds,” he stated. Her resignation, far from going unnoticed, opened a new debate around the political and social role of beauty queens in Colombia, as well as the limits between personal opinion and institutional representation.
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