Newly-crowned Miss Universe 2018 candidate Catriona Gray is currently in hot water after allegedly taking her response to the local pageant's question and answer round from a best-Selling poetry author. Social media was abuzz with her response during the coronation night last weekend.

The 24-year-old beauty titleholder, who is set to represent the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant later this year, was crowned the winner, beating 39 other contestants from her country. However, days after the coronation, netizens pointed out some words from her final question response that were previously written in a New York Times best-seller titled "Woman to Woman: Letters to Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Friends" by Michelle Lovric.

Final question

During the national pageant's final question, one of the jury members asked Gray about her insights into the women who were devastated by the war in the country's region, Mindanao. The panelist was referring to the recently concluded conflict in Marawi that left several people dead and wounded.

The beauty queen then answered that her message to the women of the war-torn region is to remain strong because they are the "head of the household." She also added how women have an "amazing influence" over their families as "mothers, sisters, and friends."

Part of these words were similar to the title of the best-selling poetry book, the netizens pointed out. The author, Lovric, hails from Melbourne in Australia and has won the London Arts Writer's Award.

The netizens also noted how Gray was unable to at least even cite where her answer came from.

Multiple sources

Apparently, it was not the only answer that came from the beauty which sparked outrage in the pageant community. The words "head of the household" came out unattributed from an online article published in a London-based multi-media organization, Premier UK.

It mainly produces content for the Christian communities in various parts of the world.

One netizen commented that Gray could have at least "properly attributed" her answer by mentioning where her words came from. Meanwhile, other members of the pageant community believe that she was just a wide-reader, having taken her answer from different published sources.

Gray is competing against several other representatives in the worldwide pageant, considered as the most prestigious in the globe. She previously competed during the 2016 Miss World held in the United States but did not clinch the crown.