UW student shines in Miss America pageant

The beauty. The pageantry. No, it isn’t Toddlers and Tiaras. It’s Miss America and Lexie Madden brought home an honor Wyoming has only experienced one other time in the history of the pageant—placing in the top five. But she didn’t only place in the top five; she was third runner up.

Madden is a University of Wyoming student from Torrington majoring in kinesiology. She said she keeps bouncing back and forth between being a pediatric physical therapist and being an occupational therapist.

“Ultimately I want to work in a children’s hospital,” she said. “My sister was born with a hole in her heart, so for the first two or three years of her life she was in and out of Denver’s Children’s Hospital. As Miss Wyoming I was able to go back and visit some of the children that were in the hospital. I kind of understood to an extent what it was like for those families and I felt like everything had come full circle.”

Her involvement with Miss America stemmed from her experience as Wyoming’s 2009 Junior Miss.

“I loved representing my state at nationals,” Madden said.

She tossed around the idea of getting involved in Miss Wyoming and ultimately Miss America and, with the encouragement of her friends, finally “turned in the application two days before it was due,” she said.

Preparing for the competition requires a time commitment, Madden said. As part of the preparation she attended a workshop with the Miss Wyoming board where contestants learned interviewing skills and practiced mock interviews.

Because she spent a great deal of time training to make sure she was in top physical condition, the swim suit portion of the competition was a walk in the park for Madden.

“A lot of people think that it would be most nerve racking,” she said. “For me it was fun because I had already prepared the best that I could.”

The Miss America organization can be defined with a heart for service, Madden said, “and of course [Miss America] is ultimately a spokesperson.”  Before the competition makes it to television, the contestants have a ten minute interview with the judges where nothing is off limits and contestants are asked about hot button issues like gun control because they want to see how each contestant can handle herself.

When the cameras are rolling, each contestant is brought out individually and the emcee asks them a single question. Madden said she was asked if she thought parents were too quick to medicate children that were diagnosed with ADHD.

She said she does not recall the exact words she used, but she said, “ultimately that is the parents’ choice. But if they want to medicate the child then they also need to look at other options and not just cover it up with medication.”

The Miss America pageant was held in Las Vegas at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino. Though they were in Las Vegas, the contestants spent a majority of the time in the hotel, the “main focus was to prepare for the Miss America competition and rehearse,” Madden said.

Madden explained that her duties as the third runner up in Miss America do not really differ from her duties as Miss Wyoming. “I’m still Miss Wyoming for the next six months when we crown another Miss Wyoming in June,” Madden said. “I’m here working on my platform and promoting my organization—not only the Miss Wyoming organization but the Miss America organization—because it really is great.”

“Each contestant is required to promote a platform for their year of service,” Madden said. “My platform is called Forever Fit. It’s focusing on the implementation of a physically active lifestyle in people of all ages and demographics.”

In the past, pageants like Miss America have been stigmatized for objectifying women by focusing on their outward beauty. Madden said Miss America “doesn’t just focus on beauty. It focuses on getting out in your community and being a good citizen. They definitely stress that they want the women to be positive role models.”

For other young women who might be interested in getting involved in Miss Wyoming or Miss America, Madden says “Do it! I was unsure about whether I wanted to do it or not, but I can say that I’ve grown so much as a person. The people that you are around will influence you for your lifetime. It’s a life changing experience.”