This is the first plus-size miss of America

The standard recipe for beauty pageants is as follows: slim women parading in bikinis for the jury, with the most beautiful hair, perfectly white teeth giving fantastically thought-out answers to difficult life questions. There is little room to deviate from those requirements, so the fact that a plus-size Miss Alabama was chosen this weekend has caused quite a stir.

The 23-year-old Sara Milliken was the ‘lucky’ one. But whether you can really say that she can be happy with this victory is still the question. She received more than 2000 reactions after her win. And as is now known, many people lose their filter when it comes to responding to others online. People reacted that they find it a shame that Sara has won and that it is ridiculous that this ‘unhealthy body’ is being set as an example for young women.

Fortunately, the organization fully supports her. In a message on Instagram, they write that they have always celebrated women with perseverance and good communication skills, and that Sara's message regarding body positivity is simply very inspiring. Sara herself says she has always dreamed of participating in a beauty pageant and is therefore very happy that she ultimately walked away with the crown. More competitions are waiting for her now, as now that she has won in her own state of Alabama, the national contests are beckoning. Fortunately, Sara is not affected by the negativity at all; she stands strong in her shoes and is very proud of her body and the win.