How the New Miss America Overcame Her Fears to Make Pageant History

It has been a few days of celebrating for Regan Hutsell, who became the 10th Black woman to take home the Miss America title on Sunday (Sept. 6). Hutsell is the first Texas native to win the crown in over 50 years and the first-ever Black woman to win while wearing her natural hair. Now, she is talking about the decisions she made to enter the beauty pageant and how she managed to push past her previous body image battles and choose to rock her curls.

In a recent interview with Yahoo, the dancer opened up about finding the courage to enter the world of pageantry despite having had bad experiences with people scrutinizing her body, which led her to suffer from an eating disorder that she is healing from.

“I couldn’t let the opportunity of that fear creeping in hinder what this potential journey could be,” she said.

It’s a good thing Hutsell didn’t allow fear to hold her back. Pageantry has proved to be the right move for the dancer who debuted in her first competition last year at Miss Houston, then went on to win Miss Texas and continued her winning streak by being crowned Miss America.

Related: Who Is Regan Hutsell? Meet the 99th Miss America Who Just Made History

Through the Miss America Organization, Hutsell has earned nearly $90,000 in scholarships, which she plans to put toward her college degree as she studies to become a physical therapist.

Entering the pageant, Hutsell shifted her mindset from a place of anxiety to a space of empowerment, telling herself that it was a privilege to be able to go after her dream and honor her body in the process.

“I was doing it from a place of ‘I get to do this. I get to honor; I get to celebrate my body. I get to stand onstage proud of something that I used to absolutely hate,’” she said, according to Yahoo. “It was a moment for me that made my recovery real.”

However, Hutsell’s campaign of self-love and embracing personal growth wasn’t just for her. It was also for young girls who deserve to see someone who represents them in the Miss America lineup, which is one of the reasons she wore her natural curls.

Hutsell told Yahoo that she felt certain she should keep her hair heat-free when a little girl complimented her on the street, saying her curls looked beautiful.

“A moment like that made me realize this is all worth it,” she said. “Now I sit here with the Miss America crown on my head, knowing that it’s more than just a crown, but it’s a connection and inspiration for the next generation as well.”