Nina Davuluri was crowned the 2014 Miss America on Sunday night. Davuluri, 24, made history by being the first contestant of Indian descent to be crowned Miss America. Unfortunately, the historic win was marred by racist tweets from those who thought she didn’t quite fit the “mold” of what a “real American” looked like.
One contestant that many felt represented a “real American” was Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail. Vail is an M16 marksman serving in the U.S. Army; she is also pursuing dual degrees in Chinese and chemistry at Kansas State University. In her free time, she hunts deer and prominently sported a large tattoo during the pageant.
Both these young women broke barriers last night; Davuluri pushed the pageant culturally forward with her win and Vail made a statement socially with her appearance and performance. Both helped define what these pageant should be about—not just the pretty faces and beautiful bodies, but the intangibles: passions, stances, pasts and aspirations.
The culturally incompetent, however, didn’t see these women for their incredible intangibles. They saw two different skin colors and made very superficial comments about their idea of what a “real American” should look like. There is not one face that could define what an American looks like. An American is not defined by their appearance, but by their actions.
Congratulations Miss New York, you deserve this title. You are America.
