A talented and attractive Miss USA was crowned last week, and she deserves accolades, but we shouldn’t forget that there was a biological man who competed against her and the 49 other young women in the pageant.
While conservatives are vocal in speaking out about biological men invading women’s sports, especially with the Olympics having wrapped up Sunday, we cannot forget pageantry, a platform that allows women like me to embrace our femininity and be role models for young girls.
I remember when I first heard that a biological man who transitioned had won Miss Maryland USA back in June.
At first, I was excited that someone who was married finally won a title, as it made me excited about competing at the Miss Georgia USA pageant, the preliminary competition to Miss USA, especially as a mother and wife myself. But when I found out that Miss Maryland USA, Bailey Anne Kennedy, was a biological man, I then asked myself, “Will there be someone like that at my pageant, too?”
Competing in a state Miss USA pageant as a mother was challenging enough, but Miss USA’s including biological men who transitioned in a place where women were meant to shine raises concerns about fairness and comfort, especially since we had to share female-designated private spaces—and because men and women are very different biologically from each other.
It’s time to bring pageantry back to what it was meant for—celebrating and showcasing the beauty of womanhood. That would be women who grew up as girls and became women.
If the dressing room at Miss Maryland USA was anything similar to that of Miss Georgia USA, where we all had to change in front of one another, I could not imagine undressing in front of a biological man who transitioned, as those young women must have had to do.
As a result, I decided as much as possible that I would change in a back corner, behind all the other young women’s garment bags and luggage, unless I really needed help getting dressed. (We also shared a space with the Miss Georgia Teen USA contestants, who are minors.)
There were even several contestants who competed in Miss Maryland USA who expressed concern over not knowing that Kennedy was transgender until after the competition. They felt “lied to,” “disgusted,” and as if the pageant was “rigged,” and the fact that most of the young women who spoke up did not want to share their names is also disheartening, as it is important to be heard right now.
While pageantry is more than just about looks and appearances, in Miss USA and its parent organization, Miss Universe, those things are still important. Having excellent stage presence is a key to winning in pageantry, and how your body looks will play a role in that.
Just as in women’s sports, biological men who have transitioned will still have many physical advantages over women.
For example, most biological men will be taller and usually lose weight faster than women. If you look at the photos from Miss Maryland USA, you can see that Kennedy appears to be tall and fit. It’s just a fact that being taller and more fit can give you a leg up in pageantry.
Facial features also matter. A lot of what the judges look for happens in facial expressions, and the same expressions look different on everyone. That’s why pageant coaches tell us that eye contact with the judges and audience are so important. Even when biological men transition to make their facial features look more feminine, there are those who still have more defined jawlines than the average natural-born woman.
In addition to the attempts to diminish the accomplishments of natural-born women, I recall one of the emcees even wanting to see Miss USA and state pageants remove “Miss” in their names, which appears to be another attempt to erase women and their spaces.
More pageant participants need to speak out about how unfair it is to have biological men compete in women’s spaces. I got involved in pageantry because it’s important to showcase womanhood, be a role model, and to let women speak up for what they believe.
To that end, I remain committed to pageantry, striving to restore its original purpose and integrity.
Author Frances Floresca competed in the Miss Georgia USA 2024 pageant on June 15.
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