Reef Chile cancels beach contest over ‘gender violence’ concerns

"We have decided to suspend the acclaimed contest for this summer 2018, since it is changing the commercial strategy worldwide due," said the company's marketing manager, Isabella Guida.

SANTIAGO – Wrapped in a context of questioning and after 15 years since its inauguration, the organizers of the acclaimed contest Miss Reef Chile announced this week that the contest is suspended indefinitely. The decision follows a similar one from Reef Argentina.

According to the company’s marketing manager, Isabella Guida, the reason lies in a change in the “global commercial strategy” as a result of the concern for “gender violence”.

“We have decided to suspend the acclaimed contest for this summer 2018, since it is changing the commercial strategy worldwide due to the concern and awareness that began to arise due to gender violence,” Guida said.

In this sense, the coordinator of the event also noted that “we always promoted care and respect for women, that is why we were concerned about all the details and above all the comfort and the good atmosphere for our participants”.

The reasons for the cancellation of Miss Reef Chile are not new.

The summer of 2017 the Argentine version of the contest, held in Mar del Plata since 1993, was also suspended for reasons associated with violence against women.