Cheslie Kryst, a lawyer from North Carolina, has become the third black woman to be crowned in a prestigious 2019 beauty pageant, as she grabbed the Miss USA title last Thursday, thereby joining this year’s black Miss America and Miss Teen USA.
The latter title was presented to Kaliegh Garris, an 18-year-old from Connecticut, who is seeking to pursue a career in nursing, whereas Nia Franklin, Miss America 2019 from New York, gritted out a victory in a September contest.
The first-ever near simultaneous triple win for African-American women has been on everyone’s lips on Twitter, with many praising Garris’ and Kryst’s wearing their naturally-textured hair on the pageant catwalk, while others focused on Kryst’s support for the Me Too movement “fostering safe and inclusive work places,” as she put it when answering a reporter's question.
Yet amid people’s applause, predominantly from among the black community, one naysayer weighed in by saying there is “nothing” in the win, remarking that the other race “has been doing it for years”:
That's nothing, the other race has been doing it for years
— Trolls Royce (@oistar22) 4 мая 2019 г.
For the first time, #MissUSA, #MissTeenUSA, and #MissAmerica are black women! This is an exciting and historic moment, as well as amazing representation for little girls. I am especially thrilled that two of the winners were crowned rocking natural hair.… https://t.co/372Qyt8fOv pic.twitter.com/xeJxlHzNfu
— Imani Josey (@OfficialImaniJ) 3 мая 2019 г.
“Beauty beyond complexion”, one exclaimed, whilst a couple of other Twitterians assumed that the pageant outcomes are no more than “political correctness”, adding that objectivity had ceased to exist:
#PoliticalCorrectness #NoMoreObjectivity
— Joe Khallouf (@jokhallouf) 4 мая 2019 г.
Political correctness?
— C. Taylor (@MySouthernHeels) 5 мая 2019 г.
Meanwhile, another person dwelled on the fact that the title holders are “inspiring” and “educated” black women who prove that African-Americans can do “anything beyond limits placed on them by others”.
For the first time in history, Miss USA, Miss America, and Miss Teen USA are all beautiful, educated black women. An attorney, an aspiring nurse, and an arts advocate. These inspiring woman show me and everyone else that we can do anything beyond limits placed on us by others. pic.twitter.com/1xEcELqd1x
— Madison Woods (@madisonw726) 3 мая 2019 г.
Another Twitterian alleged in the meantime that the Miss Teen USA had darkened her skin just for the pageant, arguing that biracial people are their own race in the country. To prove his point, the user posted a collage:
Wooooooow. Miss Teen USA really did darken herself up for the pageant.
— Zeke 🇺🇸 (@flippedhatnupe) 4 мая 2019 г.
THIS is why biracial people are their own race. What black person can do this? pic.twitter.com/0u05NoVVmb
However, there were those insisting that the Miss Teen’s hair is naturally black and curly, with another noting that even if biracial, this “doesn’t make you any less black”. One went as far as addressed the other, “racist” contesters’ feelings about black women being crowned in the pageants:
Miss Teen USA is a BLACK WOMAN.
— T I M. K🅴 (@TimxKardashian) 3 мая 2019 г.
Miss USA-2019 is a BLACK WOMAN.
MISS AMERICA IS A BLACK WOMAN.
I hope every racist runner up CHOKED on their existence durring their crowning. pic.twitter.com/0B9Z78uveb
MISS TEEN USA is a BLACK NATURAL HAIRED WOMAN.
— k (@KayleeSMorgan) 30 апреля 2019 г.
this 👏🏽 is 👏🏽 so 👏🏽 important 👏🏽
this 👏🏽 is 👏🏽 so 👏🏽 important 👏🏽
this 👏🏽 is 👏🏽 so 👏🏽 important 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/zfKzQNTGd0
Another suggested that any claims about the Miss Teen US are irrelevant without “her input”:
But the most interesting part of watching this play out is how a majority of Black women have claimed Miss Teen USA as fully Black without her input.
— Zynierah (@Zynierah) 3 мая 2019 г.
There was, however, also room for a decent joke.
While one expressed surprise that the Misses were not only black, but actually female…
Surprise,there all female too!!!
— Douglas Chase (@DouglasChase1) 4 мая 2019 г.
… another one butted in, urging that the jury let “each one be a trans/lesbo/Latina/Asian” next time, anticipating the following rhetoric:
next time let each one be a trans lesbo Latina/Asian and the pronouncement would be "the idea of distinct genders is so outdated, for the last 5000 years" & there'd be a debate whether "identifying" as not female makes you a male and ineligible for pageants dedicated to a "miss"
— talha bin hamid (@talhamid) 4 мая 2019 г.
