Victoria Kjær Theilvig (born November 13, 2003, often spelled without the Danish æ as “Victoria Kjaer Theilvig”) is a Danish model, dancer, entrepreneur, and beauty pageant titleholder. She made history by becoming the Miss Universe 2024 winner on November 16, 2024, in Mexico City—the first woman from Denmark to claim the title and the first blonde winner since 2004.
Born in Herlev (a suburb of Copenhagen) and raised in nearby areas like Søborg, she studied business and marketing at Lyngby Handelsgymnasium. She has a background as a competitive dancer (with European and World Championship experience), works in the jewelry industry specializing in diamond sales, and is an aspiring lawyer. She’s also known for advocating mental health, animal rights, and women’s empowerment.
Her pageant journey includes:
- 2nd runner-up at Miss Denmark 2021
- Miss Grand Denmark 2022 (Top 20 at Miss Grand International)
- Appointed Miss Universe Denmark 2024
- Crowned Miss Universe 2024
As the reigning Miss Universe (as of late 2025), she has traveled globally for duties and been involved in various events and advocacy work.
Her mental health advocacy
Victoria Kjær Theilvig, the reigning Miss Universe 2024, is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness. Her advocacy stems from personal experiences, having grown up in a dysfunctional family environment marked by abuse, trauma, and drug addiction among relatives. She has been open about overcoming these challenges, using her story to inspire resilience and encourage others to seek help and speak out.
Key aspects of her mental health advocacy include:
- Promoting open conversations about mental wellness and reducing stigma.
- Emphasizing empathy, self-confidence, and turning personal struggles into sources of strength.
- Advocating for accessible mental health resources, particularly in education and for youth.
- Drawing from her own journey to empower individuals, especially women, to prioritize their mental well-being and build self-esteem.
As Miss Universe, she has committed to amplifying these efforts globally, often alongside her work on animal rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment. She plans to collaborate with NGOs and use her platform to support mental health initiatives worldwide, viewing small collective actions as catalysts for meaningful change.
Her specific NGO collaborations
Victoria Kjær Theilvig, as the reigning Miss Universe 2024 (throughout 2025), has expressed strong intentions to collaborate with NGOs worldwide on mental health initiatives, emphasizing advocacy campaigns, stigma reduction, and sustainable community programs. She has highlighted plans to partner with global organizations to support youth mental health, education, and empowerment, drawing from her personal experiences.
However, as of late 2025, no specific named NGOs are publicly documented as direct collaborators for her mental health advocacy. Her work in this area appears to focus on broader platform amplification, public speaking, and personal storytelling rather than formalized partnerships with particular organizations.
Notable charity involvements during her reign include:
- Participating in Project Lab Coat (February 2025), a New York Fashion Week charity runway show raising funds for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research at Mount Sinai’s Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center—aligning with health advocacy but not specifically mental health.
- Visiting the Ronald McDonald House Charities Curaçao Foundation (June 2025) to deliver gifts to children, supporting families with ill children (which can indirectly relate to emotional well-being).
She has also supported animal welfare causes, including a pre-Miss Universe visit to a Danish animal protection organization. Her overall advocacy combines mental health with animal rights, gender equality, and youth empowerment, with ongoing commitments to expand global impact through the Miss Universe platform.
Details on her personal mental health story
Victoria Kjær Theilvig has been open about her challenging upbringing as a key part of her mental health advocacy. She grew up in a dysfunctional family environment marked by significant drug addiction among relatives and personal experiences of abuse and trauma.
In her official Miss Universe introductory video and various statements during the 2024 competition, she shared that she came from a “very dysfunctional family with a lot of drug addicts” and that she had “also been abused.” Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and interviews, confirm she has been a victim of rape and abuse, which she has referenced in the context of overcoming childhood trauma.
She uses these experiences to fuel her advocacy, emphasizing resilience, turning pain into strength, and encouraging others—particularly young women—to prioritize mental well-being, seek help, and build self-confidence. Theilvig views her story as one of empowerment, showing how personal struggles can be transformed into a platform for inspiring global change and reducing mental health stigma.
While she has not shared exhaustive private details publicly (focusing instead on broader messages of hope and recovery), her openness about these challenges has been widely noted as a source of inspiration during and after her Miss Universe win.
Details of her advocacy initiatives
Victoria Kjær Theilvig, as the reigning Miss Universe 2024 throughout 2025, has centered her platform on several key advocacy areas, drawing from her personal experiences and passions. Her initiatives focus on amplifying global awareness through public speaking, social media, international travels, and participation in events, rather than launching standalone organizations.
Primary Advocacy Pillars
- Mental Health Awareness: Rooted in her own history of overcoming family dysfunction, abuse, and trauma, she promotes reducing stigma, encouraging open conversations, building resilience, and prioritizing self-care—especially among youth and women. She advocates for accessible resources and views small collective actions as drivers of change.
- Animal Rights and Welfare: A passionate advocate for animal protection, she highlights humane treatment, wildlife conservation, and ending animal suffering. She has volunteered at shelters, cared for rescue animals, and used her platform to call for global action against silent suffering of animals.
- Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality: She champions women’s rights to be heard, express opinions, and pursue dreams without judgment. This includes promoting sisterhood and solidarity among women.
- Youth Empowerment and Education: She supports initiatives for young people, including mental health in education and broader empowerment.
Notable Activities and Initiatives in 2025
- Participated in charity events, such as gala nights and visits to support families (e.g., Ronald McDonald House Charities in Curaçao).
- Appeared at fashion weeks and openings (e.g., Colombiamoda 2025 in Colombia, her first South America trip; New York Fashion Week events tied to Miss Universe HQ).
- Demonstrated leadership in women’s empowerment by publicly supporting contestants facing unfair treatment during Miss Universe 2025 preparations in Thailand, emphasizing sisterhood and the right to voice opinions.
- Engaged in global travels for Miss Universe duties, blending advocacy with cultural bridge-building.
- Expressed plans to collaborate with NGOs on mental health, education, sustainability, and youth programs, though no specific named partnerships were publicly detailed by late 2025.
Her approach emphasizes inspiration through storytelling, empathy, and using the Miss Universe platform for positive impact, positioning modern pageantry as a vehicle for social good.
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