Maine Sea Goddess Stripped Of Title Over Social Media Photos
Eighteen-year-old Taylor Hamlin was overjoyed when she was named this year's Maine Sea Goddess at this year's Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland, only to have that joy taken away from her the very next day. She was scheduled to have her first public appearance as the Sea Goddess, and felt some uneasiness with Coronation Director Sharon Lombardo.
When pressed, Lombardo told Hamlin that someone had shared some of her social media photos with them, and that the content of those photos was not acceptable according to the committee. In one photo, Hamlin allegedly was holding a joint, and in another, she was using a Juul, which is a nicotine vaping device. The Coronation Committee felt these were not in keeping with the standard of the festival, according to a story in the Portland Press Herald.
Hamlin was told she could keep the prize money, but that she would be forced to resign her title as Sea Goddess, and maintain her title through the end of the festival, but would have to give it up immediately following. Hamlion and her family had volunteered for many years at the festival, but felt she was being singled out for behavior that was not uncommon among her peers.
When the festival is over, the Sea Goddess title will be held for the rest of the year by Erin Dugan, who was last year's winner. When questioned about the role social media will play in future pageants, organizers certainly seemed to imply that it is a useful tool for seeing how people live day to day life outside the pageant, and that going forward, participants should think about how their social media pages can affect them.