Alicia Machado
Former 1996 Miss Universe Alicia Machado of Venezuela laughs during the NBA basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Houston Rockets in Miami, Florida, February 6, 2013. Reuters/Rhona Wise

In the last 12 hours or so, the world has yet again become fixated on the unhealthy obsession that Donald Trump, the current US Republican presidential candidate, has on female beauty. And Alicia Machado, who won the 1996 Miss Universe pageant, has become the latest spokesperson.

During the US presidential debate, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton brought up Trump’s long-standing history of being too critical when it comes to a woman’s looks. “He loves beauty contests, supporting them and hanging around them,” she said. “And he called this woman 'Miss Piggy.' Then he called her 'Miss Housekeeping' because she was Latina."

The former Miss Venezuela's story began after she won the Miss Universe title during the first year that Trump owned the franchise. After gaining some weight, Trump humiliated her by inviting media to watch Machado as she worked out. “This is somebody that likes to eat,” he told reporters.

The now 39-year-old also shared how she developed eating disorders, which were directly caused by Trump. "I wouldn't eat, and would still see myself as fat,” she told media on Tuesday. “Because a powerful man had said so.”

A video narrating Machado’s experience was released by the Clinton campaign shortly after the first presidential debate ended on Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, Trump went on “Fox & Friends” to discuss how much weight Machado gained during her reign as Miss Universe and how it caused the franchise grief. "She was the worst we ever had. The worst. She was impossible," he said. "She was the winner and she gained a massive amount of weight and it was a real problem."

Clinton, in effect, turned Machado into a powerful political tool. In her telling of a personal account and just how much it shaped her, Machado has likely broken through to a lot of American voters. She even called Trump’s rise to presidency a “really bad dream.”

Now a US citizen, Machado has vowed to follow Clinton until the end.

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