New Miss America Emma Broyles is first Korean-American to win title
- Emma Broyles said her win shows how pageant has become ‘incredibly progressive’
- She opened up during the interview portion of the competition about her mental health
The newly crowned Miss America has made history, becoming both the first Korean-American and the first Alaskan to hold the title in the competition’s 100-year history.
“I never could have imagined in a million years that I would be Miss America, let alone that I would be Miss Alaska,” a beaming Emma Broyles told Associated Press on Friday in a Zoom call from Connecticut, where she won the competition about 12 hours earlier.
The 20-year-old cried as confetti rained and a gold crown was placed on her head. In the final round of the competition, she gave a powerful answer when asked what she would do if a male representative of a major sponsor made inappropriate comments and sexual advances toward her.
“I know in my heart that as a woman, I am never going to let somebody treat me like, because women should never be treated like objects,” Broyles said. “Women can be angry! We cannot be content with things that are happening.”
She also opened up during the interview portion of the competition about her mental health.
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“I am real. I have flaws. I have ADHD. I have dermatillomania, which is a form of OCD. I’ve struggled with all of these things and because of that, I am a better person,” Broyles said. “During Covid, it was an incredibly difficult time for me, being isolated in my college dorm for so long. It was that point when I hit rock bottom when I realised I can be so much more than that.”
Broyles’ win comes with a US$100,000 scholarship. Miss Alabama Lauren Bradford was named the first runner-up.
The very first Miss America programme began in 1921 as a beauty pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, Broyles is only the 94th Miss America.
The pageant, which has evolved away from the emphasis on looks to focusing on leadership, talent and communication skills, was not held last year because of the pandemic and it wasn’t held for several years in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Broyles said her grandparents immigrated from Korea to Anchorage about 50 years ago, before her mother was born.
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“I think the fact that I’m a Korean-American who’s earned the title of Miss America is completely representative of the positive change that this organisation has seen,” she told Business Insider. “I think that this is an organisation that is incredibly progressive, and we’re progressive alongside changes that we see in society as well.”
Broyles’ future plans include becoming a dermatologist and returning to Alaska to practice her profession.
Associated Press and Tribune News Service
