I have been seeing the news clips about Miss Kansas and the
ink on her body. Today I saw a more indepth story about her and the dichotomy
of her life.
I related to her.
I was raised in a tiny town on the Mississippi River (think
Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher) with two brothers and mostly all boys to play
with. My mom taught me many lessons but most importantly to always be able to
take care of myself in every aspect of my life. Combine that with the
things I had to be able to do to have playmates makes that same dichotomy with me. I
would build forts in the woods with the boys, shoot guns, play baseball, outrun
them but then go inside and play with dolls that weren’t GI Joes. The other
thing mom taught me was that if I was going to play with the boys I had to be
just as good as them. No special treatment because I was a girl.
The thing I admire the most about Miss Kansas….she has the
courage to stand proud, representing her state and most importantly, HERSELF. In my opinion, she is a great role model for
young girls letting them know it is acceptable to be who you are....without twerking of course. I also love the Serenity Prayer and have that framed on a wall in my house.
This is what she had to say in her blog post about it:
“Why am I choosing to bear my tattoos? Reference A; my
platform! Empowering women to OVERCOME stereotypes and break barriers. What a
hypocrite I would be if I covered the ink. With my platform, how could I tell
other women to be fearless and be true to themselves if I can’t do the same?
Now, had my platform been something entirely different, maybe the tables would
be turned. Maybe. But I am who I am, tattoos and all.”
I absolutely hate to be stereotyped or put in any sort of
box. I like that Theresa Vail doesn’t either. I think she would be a great Miss
America and a symbol of what an American woman can be today. I will be cheering for her to win. Much better role
model than Miley Cyrus don't you think?
