‘How Pageantry Ruined My Life’: Former Miss Trinidad Ache Abrahams speaks out on abuse, mental health struggles

Trinidad and Tobago: “The toughest year and a half of my life,” former Miss Trinidad and Trinidad World, Ache Abrahams has gone public in a 18-minute video to speak of her untold trauma while contesting in beauty pageants. 

The 18-minute video titled ‘how pageantry ruined my life’ was posted on her official Youtube channel on Friday, August 22, 2025. In the video the model narrated that she faced verbal abuse, body shaming and severe mental health struggles under the local franchise.

She highlighted the mental toll that the pageants had on her mental health noting that she had gone to represent her country while she was completely broken inside. Forced to smile in public while secretly suffering behind closed doors, calling it the toughest year of her life. 

The 2nd runner-up at the 71st Miss World which earned her the prestigious title of Miss World Caribbean expressed that while at the pageants wherever she spoke up about her trauma she was called a liar and told that her trauma was ‘not real’and that her body was ‘a shame’ to the sponsors she was representing comments that further pushed her into depression. 

Speaking in her Youtube video the model stated that the experience led her to question the entire purpose of pageantry and wonder why a place that was meant to empower women is leaving her financially, mentally, and emotionally drained. 

“If it’s meant to be a developmental program for women, then why are women coming out feeling destroyed, less than, broken and unsure of themselves?”

In the video, Ache further disclosed that she had resigned at one point after an undisclosed incident occurred. But when she shared with her mother what had happened and how her mental health was being affected by the pageantry industry. 

She was shocked at her mothers response which basically advised her to abandon her own-wellbeing and keep on participating despite the toxic environment she was exposed to. 

Ache believes that the franchise was actively damaging her mental health and while explaining why she chose to now go public and speak up on her experience. 

She said that it is because she feels guilty at the thought of knowing that many young women are now preparing to enter the competitions without even knowing what they might face in their futures there.

“In good conscience remain silent”, she noted as a mental health advocate she cannot bear to see young women go through what she had endured without knowing.

"I made peace, I prayed for these people" she concluded her video by noting that she holds no grudge or harm as she has been taking care of herself through therapy and she is still in counseling . 

The model now speaks in light of the local franchise recently announcing the 20 contestants vying for Miss Trinidad and Tobago World 2025, the local franchise is yet to respond to the comments by the Miss World Caribbean. 

Although hundreds of citizens have rallied behind Ache on her YouTube comments praising her for her bravery in speaking up and some sharing a bit of similar experiences that they had with the local Trinidad and Tobago pageantry franchise.