‘Running out of time to matter’ – Cheslie Kryst trolled for ‘being too old’

Organisers of the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants said Monday they were “devastated” by the suicide of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst, who had often spoken out about stress and mental health.

In a statement sent to AFP, the Miss Universe and Miss USA organisations said they were “devastated to learn about the loss of Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst.”

“She was one of the brightest, warmest, and most kind people we have ever had the privilege of knowing, and she lit up every room she entered,” the statement said.

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A police source in New York confirmed late Sunday Kryst’s body had been found around 7am at the foot of a skyscraper on 42nd Street in Manhattan, as first reported by the New York Post.

“According to the preliminary investigation, she had jumped from an elevated position,” the police source said, adding that her death “appears to be a suicide.”

The New York Post said Kryst, 30, jumped from a terrace on the 29th floor of the Orion Condominium tower where she lived.

A few hours before her death, Kryst posted a photo of herself on Instagram captioned: “May this day bring you rest and peace.”

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A post shared by Cheslie Kryst, JD, MBA (@chesliekryst)

US media obituaries noted her rise to fame from her birth in the US state of Michigan in 1991. Kryst, who was mixed-race, grew up in North Carolina before earning a law degree. 

Her mother was crowned Miss North Carolina in 2002, before Kryst herself hit the runways and was crowned Miss North Carolina, and then Miss USA in 2019 at age 28, the oldest contestant to win the pageant. 

The same year, she came 10th in the Miss Universe pageant. 

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Kryst left a suicide note on her computer, although the content of the note has not been made public.

In March 2021, the beauty queen wrote about the fear ‘she was running out of time’ in Allure magazine.

“Each time I say ‘I’m turning 30,’ I cringe a little. Sometimes I can successfully mask this uncomfortable response with excitement; other times, my enthusiasm feels hollow, like bad acting…”

“Turning 30 feels like a cold reminder that I’m running out of time to matter in society’s eyes — and it’s infuriating.”

Kryst was the oldest person to have won Miss USA at the age of 28, revealing months before her death how she was trolled on social media for her age and having an athletic body.

According to Daily Mail, the former Miss USA often had to delete ‘vomit emojis’ from the comments below some of her photos on Instagram.

“I can’t tell you how many times I have deleted comments on my social media pages that had vomit emojis and insults telling me I wasn’t pretty enough to be Miss USA or that my muscular build was actually a ‘man body,” Kryst said.