Last night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Deshauna Barber was crowned Miss USA at this year’s pageant. However, for the millions of people that tuned in to the show, Deshauna’s win marked a historical event. In fact, Deshauna’s win proves that pageants hold far more meaning than tiaras and glamorous dresses. The 26-year-old’s crowning is a groundbreaking victory for several important reasons.
Throughout the night, the D.C. native showed viewers exactly why she was the perfect choice for the title this year. For starters, Deshauna’s status as a retired Army master sergeant is commendable, showing that women are equally as capable as men when in comes to serving our country. Given her role in the Army, we’re not surprised that Deshauna flawlessly responded to a related question during the question-and-answer section of the show.
When asked her thoughts on the U.S. military’s policy that allows females to serve in all divisions of the armed forces, Deshauna said, “As a woman in the United States Army, I think it was an amazing job by our government to allow women to integrate into every branch of the military. We are just as tough as men.” We couldn’t agree more with her! Deshauna is certainly setting a great example for young girls, who might feel deterred from pursuing seemingly male-dominated careers.
During the second question-and-answer segment, Deshauna further showed that she embodies both brains and beauty. During the Q&A, Deshauna, Miss Georgia and Miss Hawaii were all asked how they would personally define the phrase “confidently beautiful.” Deshauna’s response will make you adore her even more:
Confident and beautiful!
Another perfect answer from Miss District of Columbia.
I almost cried #MissUSA #DChttps://t.co/IQM4qepCiB— DCHomos (@DCHomos) June 6, 2016
Deshauna’s win is also significant for women of color, especially since there have only been a few occasions when a minority woman was given the title. In 2012, Nana Meriwether was crowned Miss USA and in 2014, Nadia Sanchez took the title. We think that this year’s pageant was a notable one, and Deshauna now joins the ranks of other admirable women in our country.