There’s a new Miss America in town and she’s got a beautiful midwestern twang in her voice.
Savvy Shields, who represented the state of Arkansas in the pageant, won the crown and title of Miss America Sunday evening in Atlantic City. She beat out 52 other contestants with her jazz dance performance of the TV show song “Smash”. The pageant was held at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.
I’m Savvy Shields and I am now #MissAmerica! pic.twitter.com/ZPRkmjMWKR
— Savvy Shields (@MissAmerica) September 12, 2016
Savvy wasn’t the only star to steal the show. This year’s pageant showcased several other women who were hoping to steal the show, including the first openly gay contestant, Erin O’Flaherty from Missouri. O’Flaherty had told the Associated Press in a recent interview that she was excited to represent her sexual orientation on stage.
“I knew going in that I had the opportunity to make history. Now I get to be more visible to the community and meet more people.”
Although O’Flaherty didn’t take home the crown or advance to the top 15, her presence and desire to change the course of typical american beauty contest representation was one to be applauded.
Besides Shields, finalists included women from Kentucky, Washington, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Louisiana Mississippi, South Carolina, Idaho, Iowa, Texas, and California,
