You think being Miss Teen USA is all crowns and beautiful gowns? Well, you’re wrong. Very wrong.
Reigning title holder Karlie Hay is here to shatter pretty much all the misconceptions about the title and the pageant.
It’s not about the gowns, or even the crown. It’s about bringing awareness to something you really believe in.
“I think people would be surprised to learn how much we genuinely love to give back and help others in any way we can,” Karlie tells JJJ. “Pageant girls are go-getters and I think it’s important for people to recognize the selflessness and hard work that goes into carrying on this title.”
We also asked Karlie to look back a year ago and give herself a piece of advice that maybe she should’ve taken at the start.
“‘You can be the sweetest ripest peach in the world and there will still always be someone who hates peaches’,” she says.
Karlie adds about the meaning for her, “I have always been a people’s person and I have always strived to make sure that everyone I met had a good impression of me. I wish going into this year, I had been more open to the concept that no one is perfect, and there will always be someone in the world that will point out your flaws.”
“Instead of striving for perfection and popularity, we should be striving to be confidently beautiful in our own way. We should embrace our personal stories and backgrounds, and we shouldn’t care about what others have to say about us.”
Karlie Hay hosts a workout with a few Miss Teen USA contestants at South Mountain Park on Thursday (July 27) in Phoenix, Ariz.
JJJ recently chatted with the reigning Miss Teen USA about what she learned during her reign, and any advice she’d give the next queen.
“During my reign as Miss Teen USA, I’ve learned how to truly believe in myself,” Karlie told us. “Throughout the year, I have realized that I have something inside of me that is greater than any obstacle.”
Karlie‘s platform was drug and alcohol abuse, however, she didn’t get to campaign for it as much as she would have liked to.
“I would have loved to raise more awareness as well as speak more on the effects of alcohol and drug abuse, though I’m happy I got to shed a little light on the subject at a few events,” she says. “I plan to continue advocating for teens growing up in unstable homes.”
The next Miss Teen USA will have to fill some pretty big shoes — so what’s the one piece of advice she’d give to her?
“Make every moment count!” Karlie says. “Use your title and platform to impact your community and those around you.”
Miss Teen USA 2017 will be webcast TOMORROW on Facebook and MissTeenUSA.com.
Just hours after she was named the new beauty queen, old tweets were pulled up from the past of her using a racist word. The country wasn’t happy and Karlie was pulled into the limelight for the wrong reasons.
“I honestly went through different stages of emotions, as I think any other human would,” Karlieexclusively told JJJ about the incident. “I didn’t know if I should give up or continue to pursue the dream I had been chasing for so many years.”
She continues, “At one point, it felt like everything I worked so hard for was crumbling down in front of me.”
“Thanks to an amazing support system and the Miss Universe Organization who stood by my side, I was able to address, apologize and learn from my actions and live out my dream as Miss Teen USA.”
Click inside to see what challenges Karlie had to overcome and how she did it…More Here! »
Karlie opened up to us about her magical prom, sharing that “something about prom makes a girl feel so special. Finding the perfect dress to fit your personality and getting all dolled up makes a girl’s confidence really shine through.”
“I picked a dress that I thought no other girl would have, something that was simple but different,” she adds about her stunning dress.
It was gorgeous too — an off the shoulder number with black detailing.
One thing that Karlie will always remember about her prom? Running in the rain!
“Something funny that happened was it was actually raining as we got to dinner,” she says. “My boyfriend and I both wore all white, so we sprinted inside as fast as we could!”
Karlie Hay has made her New York Fashion Week debut at the Anniesa Hasibuan show this week in New York City.
The reigning Miss Teen USA sat front row for the collection, before meeting up with the new Miss Universe Iris Mittenaere and Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber at the Fashion Hong Kong show.
“Sisters who slay together, stay together,” Karlie posted on Instagram after the show.
Amanda Steele was also spotted around fashion week, serving up some super fierce looks at the Philipp Plein, Jonathan Simkhai and The Blonds shows.
“just obsessed with this look!!” Amanda shared about her silver look at The Blonds.
The reigning Miss Teen USA uploaded the video to Instagram, wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.
“It’s hard to believe that 2016 is almost over, because it has been so incredible — especially for me,” Karlie shares. “One of my dreams came true this year.”
She adds, “It’s going to be pretty hard to top [this year] in 2017, but new year, new goals.”
