The Miss USA pageant this year featured all the standard glitz, glamor, and grandeur of any beauty pageant. Evening gowns, swimsuits, and beautiful, intelligent women took the stage to compete for the chance to represent the United States in the Miss Universe competition in December this year. With an ever-more diverse group of women becoming our top competitors, people everywhere have been celebrating. The Miss USA top 5 featured a single white woman, 3 black women and an Indian woman out of New Jersey. Little girls everywhere could look on the pageant stage and see themselves. Colorful, diverse, and visible.
This sentiment was reaffirmed when Miss District of Columbia won the night, the second year in a row a black woman from DC took home the crown. Miss DC's life story is more than interesting. Kara McCullough is a 25-year-old physical scientist for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Born to a military family and raised in places like Italy, Japan, and Hawaii, she made waves as a black woman competing in her natural hair.
This week, however, the newest Miss USA stirred up some controversy with her answers during the Q&A portion of the competition. Asked whether healthcare was a right or a privilege, McCullough responded, "I'm definitely going to say [healthcare is] a privilege. As a government employee, I am granted health care and I see first-hand that for one to have health care, you have to have jobs… we need to continue to cultivate this environment that we're given the opportunity to have health care as well as jobs to all American citizens worldwide."
She really shocked with her response on feminism and her lack of identification as one. “So as a woman scientist in the government, I’ve liked to lately transpose the word feminism to equalism.” She proceeded to nail the coffin shut stating that women were as equal as men when it comes to opportunity in the workplace.Of course, many jumped to criticize Kara.
Hi from #MissUSA, where Miss DC just announced she's not a feminist, but an "equalist" who's "not one of those die hards" 👀 pic.twitter.com/EIJoWhSAUI
— Maeve McDermott (@maeve_mcdermott) May 15, 2017
It's incredibly sad that in 2017, a woman is striving to occupy a position of influence w/ no understanding of what feminism is. #MissUSA
— courtney (@seecourttweet) May 15, 2017
DC just lost my vote. Healthcare shouldn't be a privilege for only people with jobs.#MissUSA pic.twitter.com/QMlAR24EiC
— mollie (@mollie64438390) May 15, 2017
While others jumped to her defense, including Miss Massachusetts Alisa Musto.
Leave it to Twitter to absolutely bail on #MissDC because she expressed a non-socialist position #LovingandTolerantLeft #MissUSA
— Miss Massachusetts (@MissAmericaMA) May 15, 2017
Miss USA winner: Feminism shouldn't be about man hating.
She also dissed Obamacare.
Brains & beauty. A true role model for women.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/M3mOHHHoEg
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) May 15, 2017
Black people hating on #MissUSA because of conservative positions need to stop acting like owned brainwashed slaves to the left.
— darnell (@cross_bearer89) May 15, 2017
In the heavily politicized world that we live in today, sometimes it's difficult to give frank answers knowing they are unpopular. So cheers to Miss DC for doing so gracefully. McCullough has a unique opportunity to represent a group that very rarely sees itself in pop culture: conservative girls. She has a chance to be a role model for girls whose opinions are regularly attacked in Hollywood and the mainstream media. She has a chance to show people that being a black woman does not mean being a liberal in every sense of the word. It's an enormous responsibility and one that hinges on her sticking to her guns, as attacks will be flooding her for the duration of her reign. Here's to wishing her the best from the sidelines,
Good luck Miss USA.
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