Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton won the talent competition Tuesday at the Miss America Pageant preliminaries in Las Vegas.
In case you didn’t know, Miss Oklahoma tapped her way to taking the top talent award during the first preliminary contest of the
Miss America Pageant Tuesday night in Las Vegas.
Not much fanfare is made of this 101-year-old pageant anymore, and I have problems with the weird reality-show elements in the format.
But, I always watch, and I always want Miss Oklahoma to win.
Last night, Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton performed a tap dance to “Money Can’t Buy Me Love,” winning the talent portion and a $2,000 Amway scholarship.
Clifton, a graduate of Moore High School, is a junior at the University of Oklahoma majoring in broadcast journalism.
She was on the OU pom-pon squad for two years and has been a competitive dancer since age 5.
Clifton’s dance awards are impressive and interesting, including holding two dance-related Guinness World Records.
Among those honors are a gold medal and two silver medals at the World Dance Championships and winning the first American Dance Idol competition.
The swimsuit competition, lack of racial diversity and focus on appearance has caused controversies in the past.
During my early 20s, I shunned the pageant for what I perceived as negative messages about what women should look like.
The arguments seem quaint now, considering all the trashy reality shows and sleazy antics of self-proclaimed celebrities.
Miss America contestants are seeking or have college educations and have volunteerism records.
The pageant evolved with more women from different races and ethnicities and a requirement for a stated position on a social issue.
No matter what you think of this contest, the women are certainly of a higher moral character than the Kim Kardashians and Snookies of the world.
I’d much rather my 5-year-old daughter emulate these women than those on “The Bachelor,” “Big Brother” or any of the “Housewives of” shows.
To watch the finale, tune in 8 p.m. Saturday on the ABC network.
