Miss America Pageant or a “Nasty Woman Protest”?

ATLANTIC CITY CITY, NJ – Miss Texas, Margana Wood, lost the 2018 Miss America crown, but won some hearts for putting *President Donald Trump to shame in 15-seconds for her strong and concise political answer to a question on *President Donald Trump’s response to the far-right violence in Charlottesville.
Wood, a 22-year-old Houston native and corporate communications graduate, did not hesitate in responding to the question: “Last month a demonstration of neo-Nazi white supremacists and the KKK in Charlottesville Virginia turned violent and a counter protester was killed. The *President said there was shared blame with quote ‘very fine people on both sides’. Were there? Tell me yes or no and explain.”
Wood condemned the white supremacy stating, “I think that the white supremacist issue … it was very obvious that it was a terrorist attack… I think that *President Donald Trump should’ve made a statement earlier addressing the fact, and in making sure all Americans feel safe in this country and that is the number one issue right now.”
Her answer was given great applause and many viewers of the pageant took to social media to praise her stance, compared favorably to Trump’s stance where he repeatedly states “both sides” were to blame for the violence. Naturally, others condemned Woods’ answer believing that such a politically polarizing question should not have been included in the pageant.
Moreover, the 2018 Miss America pageant seemed to openly focus on Trump’s recent political hot buttons. A panel of celebrity judges fielded questions ranging from Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Paris agreement, to whether the Trump campaign is guilty of colluding with Russia, not to mention what should be done with confederate statues.
The mission of the Miss USA pageant is to educate women, and it claims to be the US’s largest provider of scholarships for women and a leading advocate for women’s education. Each contestant is required to dedicate themselves to a community service platform or a cause in order to compete for the $50,000 scholarship grand prize (the first four runners-up also win a scholarship, ranging from $25,000 to $10,000). Notably, while today Trump has no connection to the Miss USA pageant, he did own the Miss Universe Organization from 1996 to 2015.
Todd Starnes who hosts a website for “conservative patriots who want to restore traditional American values” and a FOX News Radio show poised his own discriminatory questions, “When did the Miss America pageant turn into a Nasty Woman protest?” He continued stating, “I’m surprised none of the judges asked if *President Trump is the anti-Christ. Yes? No? Please explain.” Starnes seemingly mocked the women’s’ intelligence and competitive answers, explaining that the recent Miss America pageant became, “Sadly… a jazzed-up version of a Nasty Woman March. Instead of hemp sweaters and Mexican man shoes, the girls were wearing evening gowns and lip gloss.”
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Miss America Pageant or a “Nasty Woman Protest”?