Miss America Cassie Donegan defends pageant make-up after social media trolls took intention

When Cassie Donegan was topped Miss America, she by no means imagined her victory could be rapidly overshadowed by a wave of criticism concentrating on her look.

Several customers on-line rapidly flooded social media with harsh critiques of Donegan’s pageant make-up. They argued that the 28-year-old’s look appeared heavy and harsh below the obvious stage lights. Some even claimed runner-up Sadie Schiermeyer, representing Texas, ought to have gained as a substitute.

Donegan, who represented New York on the competitors on Sept. 7 in Orlando, Florida, instructed Fox News Digital she’s not letting the hateful phrases get below her pores and skin.

“The reality is, when something big happens like this, there are going to be many opinions,” she stated. 

“Everyone has the right to their own opinion, especially in such a public forum like the internet. … Yes, there is that negativity out there, and that is their truth. They are allowed to have that opinion, and I respect that entirely. But I’m surrounded by so much love and so much support and so many people who are holding me up … I’m just not allowing [their negativity] to cloud the really incredible thing that’s happening.”

Donegan identified that she’s extra targeted on being a job mannequin for youthful ladies throughout the nation.

“I’m able to look at these little girls and say, ‘I am not much different than you are right now, and you are so capable of doing anything you want to do,’” she stated. “I want them to believe in themselves, because if they don’t, no one else will. Empowerment really comes from within. And if there’s even a small part of me that brings that spark out of them, then I’ve done my part. That will be something I will be grateful to be a part of.”

Miss America, a glitzy competitors, was born from a 1921 Atlantic City magnificence contest only a yr after ladies got the proper to vote, the Associated Press reported. Many individuals say the group – a big supplier of scholarship help to younger ladies – has been life-changing, opening doorways for them each personally and professionally.

The group, one of many nation’s most acknowledged manufacturers, awards greater than $5 million in money scholarships yearly, plus thousands and thousands extra on the nationwide, state and native ranges.

Last yr’s Miss America winner, Abbie Stockard of Alabama, topped her successor. Donegan’s win included a $50,000 tuition scholarship, plus an extra $3,000 scholarship for her efficiency within the preliminary expertise competitors.

Donegan stated surrounding herself with individuals who “pour positivity into you” is essential to combating hateful phrases on-line.

“I know it’s really hard,” she admitted. “It’s arduous to not open my cellphone and wish to go and see what individuals are saying, however curiosity actually does kill the cat. … I as soon as heard that different individuals’s opinion of you shouldn’t be what you are promoting. That is one thing that I’ve actually tried to [live] by. Their opinion of me is legitimate as a result of that’s their reality, however it doesn’t imply that it’s my opinion of me.

“[I ask myself], ‘Would they say that to me directly if it wasn’t behind a screen?’ … At the end of the day, if you’re surrounding yourself with positivity and the people who know you, who love you and see you, then the other noise is going to matter a lot less.”

The achieved singer stated she’s developed thick pores and skin through the years.

“I’m from a smaller town. We were a lower-income family,” she stated. “We struggled a lot growing up. I dealt with bullying pretty badly. My mom had a lot of health problems. She had her first of multiple strokes when I was only nine years old. Some days, we didn’t even know if certain utilities were going to be on. Some days they weren’t on.”

“That’s not necessarily the background that someone would think of when they look at something as glamorous as the Miss America opportunity from the outside,” Donegan famous. “But if you allow life and your circumstances to control your outcome, then it would potentially keep you from standing in spaces like Miss America.”

“I was not in a $10,000 gown,” she continued. “My expertise outfit was given to me and was sponsored. The make-up I used, a few of it got here from drugstores. The different half was sponsored by an unimaginable make-up sponsor. 

“There is no set of rules that says you have to spend a certain amount of money, or you have to come from a certain background or lifestyle to be Miss America, or to be whatever it is that you want to be. If even one person can understand that and believe that about themselves, that their circumstances do not decide their outcome … then I have been successful in my job this year.”

Donegan stated one message she desires to highlight during her reign is unity throughout a divided time in our nation.

“I’m the daughter of a veteran of our United States Navy,” she stated. “I come from a protracted line of veterans. My brother is now additionally within the course of of probably … becoming a member of our army as effectively. I’ve a number of pride in our armed forces right here within the United States. 

“I think just seeing that dedication day in and day out to protecting our country and … protecting the things that our country was founded on — being able to have equality for all. Being able to have spaces that are filled with love and kindness. Being able to look at your neighbor and say, ‘Your journey matters just as much as my journey.’”

“Something so wonderful about my job as Miss America is that while I may have my own beliefs or opinions, I do get to create … a safe space,” she mirrored. “It is a space for you to be able to stand and say your truth, live your truth, be your truth, and understand that there is love here, there is a community here. We can have these rooms full of people from different backgrounds, different walks of life and be able to have these really authentic moments of connection and conversation.”

“I think once we’re able to hear each other, understand each other, we can start seeing unity,” Donegan added.