- On Thursday, Cheslie Kryst was named Miss USA 2019 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.
- The 28-year-old civil litigation attorney from North Carolina beat 50 other contestants to the crown.
- After the show, people congratulated Kryst on social media, where many said they were happy to see a Miss USA winner wearing a naturally curly hairstyle.
- Others celebrated the fact that the 2019 winners of Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss America pageants are all black women, and that both Miss USA and Miss Teen USA winners won the crown wearing their natural curls.
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Each year since 1952, women from across the United States have joined together to participate in the annual Miss USA beauty pageant. On Thursday, one contestant became the 67th woman to be crowned.
Cheslie Kryst took home the title after competing against 50 other women at the Grand Theatre at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. The pageant was separated into four segments – swimsuit, evening gown, final question, and final word – during which participants competed.
Kryst competed representing North Carolina. She was crowned by Sarah Rose Summers, who was named Miss USA in 2018.
The 28-year-old civil litigation attorney will soon move to New York City and become a spokesperson for the Miss Universe Organization.
Read more: The 15 states with the most Miss USA winners
After Kryst was crowned, Twitter users began to celebrate her victory and many applauded the fact that she was crowned wearing her natural curls. Others celebrated the fact that both the current Miss USA and Miss Teen USA, Kaliegh Garris, are black women who won while wearing their natural curls.
So Miss USA and Miss Teen USA are both east coast black girls with curly hair 🥳👸🏽
— Arii (@Pretty_ARii) May 3, 2019
https://twitter.com/zareeee22/status/1124131593096966144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/therealhnelz/status/1124131585169809413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
OMG I am legit crying! We got a black Miss USA and a black Miss Teen USA in the same year!!! Yaaayyyyyy!!! #missusa
— Tanya Powell - Amir (@Tpowell1975) May 3, 2019
Miss USA and Miss Teen USA are now both curly hair QUEENS! 🤩
— ✨𝘽 𝙪 𝙗 𝙗✨ (@iLoveBubb) May 3, 2019
This is not the first time the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA roles have been simultaneously filled by black women. In 2012, Nana Meriwether and Logan West served as Miss USA and Miss Teen USA respectively.
Previous Miss USA contestants have also worn their natural curls throughout the competition. The last woman to do so and win was Kara McCullough in 2017.
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While Miss America is a separate organization from the Miss Universe Organization - which hosts the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA competitions, in addition to Miss Universe - this year is an important one in pageant history. It appears to the first year where the winners of Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss America have all been black women.
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Nia Franklin from New York was crowned Miss America 2019 after competing in the pageant held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in September 2018.
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Can we talk about how BOTH the current Miss America and Miss USA are both black girls? The pageantry world is slowly changing. What a time! #BlacktoBlack #MissUSA #MissAmerica pic.twitter.com/mR1pvWmBvB
— Makho Ndlovu (@makhondlovu) May 3, 2019
- https://twitter.com/_alexisturner/status/1124131567423623168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
That pageant community is about to blow uppppp! A black Miss America, teen USA, & miss USA?! I’m LIVIIIIIIIING for it!!!
— Khyla Bremer (@Miss_KShepherd) May 3, 2019
Miss USA and Miss America look like me. Wow
— the queen of teeth (@DrRachP) May 3, 2019
- Read more:
- Here's how Miss America, Miss USA, and Miss Universe are different
- What 11 Miss USA 2019 contestants look like with little to no makeup
- Meet the 51 women competing to be Miss USA 2019
- 37 showstopping looks from Miss USA over the years