Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo Under Fire for Taj Mahal Photo Shoot
Posted on October 12, 2013
Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo is under fire for a Taj Mahal photo shoot. The Huffington Post reports that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have filed a police complaint for the footwear photo shoot that used the Taj Mahal as the backdrop.
Indian authorities have also filed a case which brings a maximum penalty of up to 2 years in jail and a 100,000 rupee ($1,600 U.S) fine.
Olivia is defending herself from the accusations. She told Jenna Pelletier from the The Providence Journal that she did not want to do the photo shoot and she was just following the direction of the Miss Universe organization. Olivia says, "I mean, I'm an employee of the Miss Universe organization and following directions given to me. I guess their vision was, 'What's better to identify India than the Taj Mahal?' But unfortunately it's something that was highly offensive. Honestly, I did say out loud at one point, 'Isn't this a little inappropriate?'"
It does seem like any charges should be directed at the company or organization that authorized the photo shoot and not at Olivia. Olivia says she loved her trip to India and hopes to be able to return. She shared a photograph with the Taj Mahal visible through a reflection in her sunglasses on Instagram. ABC News reports that the Miss Universe Organization has issued an apology for the photo shoot. Take a look: