Miss America Contestants 2013: From Tattooed Miss Kansas To Miss Arizona's Struggles With Tourettes [VIDEO]; Who Will Take the Crown? Plus Miss New York's Controversial "Fat As F***" Comments!
Miss America Contestants for 2013 promise a lot of firsts for the pageant. Miss America Contestants for 2013 have gathered in Atlantic City, NJ for the big pageant event tonight.
There have been many preliminary events for the Miss America contestants for 2013, including a welcoming ceremony and a Shoes parade. The memories of radical 60s protest involving bra burning on the boardwalk aimed at Miss America contestants are long over, because the Miss America contestants for 2013 represent a wide spectrum of womanhood.
One barrier-breaker for the pageant is Miss America Contestant for 2013 Theresa Vail, who could become first Miss America with visible tattoos. Theresa Vail is competing in this Sunday's Miss America pageant as Miss Kansas, and she is pledging not to conceal her two tattoos. Vail has tattoos of the serenity prayer and a military medical insignia.
Miss America Contestant for 2013 Theresa Vail wrote a blog post about competing in Miss America with visible tattoos recently that talked about her platform. She is competing on a platform of breaking stereotypes and wishes to break the stereotype of tattooed people by competing openly. Vail describes the meaning of her tattoos and how the serenity prayer helped her overcome bullying.
Hopefully the Miss America pageant can become more than "apple pie and pearls" with Miss Kansas Theresa Vail competing for 2013. Despite her tattoos, though, Theresa Vail describes herself as a "traditionalist" and a "God-feating woman".
Miss America contestant for 2013 Jennifer Smestad is Miss Arizona, and is competing in the pageant despite her struggles with Tourette's syndrome. She said on her facebook page: "I am beyond blessed to be able to spread awareness and educate others about something that is so personal to me."
"I don't struggle with it as much anymore. But I still know how it feels, so I can relate to the children and other people who face the same thing."
"There were times when I felt very alone. I was embarrassed. It was more the fear of being bullied rather than actual bullying, but there was definitely fear."
Not all of the Miss America pageant contestants for 2013 have been in the news for their barrier-breaking, though - some have caused controvery. Miss America contestant Miss New York has been in the news for calling Miss America "fat as f***" after weight gain. A representative for Miss America contestant Miss New York said: "'Miss New York spoke to Mallory Hagan to let her know there was no validity and to apologize if she was offended in any way".
Watch Miss America Contestant Video for 2013 Here: