01x04 - Under Pressure

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music]

- [Announcer] The
next semi-finalist is

Miss Nebraska,

Teresa Scanlan!
[audience cheering]

- You work so hard
your entire life,

striving after always
being the best,

always making the most out
of what you've been given.

You enjoy it at first,

but the pressure creeps up on
you before you even know it.

[audience cheering]

It's pressure to perform,
pressure to produce,

pressure to provide.

- I grew up thinking
Miss America was perfect,

that this was an
amazing organization,

and then you get up
to the top levels,

and you realize it's not so
perfect behind the scenes.

- There are tons
of Miss Americas

who have dealt with anxiety

and depression
because of that year.

I was one of them.

- [Announcer] Miss
Elizabeth Ward!

- I knew exactly what I was
doing until I won Miss America.

It took me years of therapy
to pull me out of this idea

that I had to be perfect.

- No matter how
much they push you,

no matter how they
criticize you,

the reality of the job

is that you can't let
them see you break down.

- It's really, really hard

because you are
mentally drained,

you are physically
drained, you are isolated.

- Where does it stop?
How does it stop?

It keeps growing,
crushing, suffocating,

and you can't breathe.

- [Reporter] Tonight,
heartbreak for former

Miss USA Cheslie Kryst,

after she died by suicide early
Sunday morning in Manhattan.

- It absolutely rocked
the entire pageant world,

the Miss America world
as much as Miss USA.

- I will not pretend
to know everything

that she was going through.

I know her experience was
far different than mine,

but at the same time,
that could have been me.

[dramatic music]

- [Announcer] Camille Schrier!

- When I look at what
scared me the most

about being Miss America,

it was compromising
my mental health.

You lose yourself a little bit,

because you have to be
what they want you to be.

- It's not worth it
if it's going to be

at the price of ourselves
and our sisters.

- They did not care
about their Miss America,

about her mental health,
about how she was.

- I mean, does it take a
Miss America taking her life

for an organization to
directly address it?

[suspenseful music]

[majestic music]

- [Announcer] Stay tuned now

for tonight's live 1985
Miss America pageant.

[gentle music]

- My reverence for the
pageant had been built

on these beautiful, little
girl and young woman-based

dreams and expectations.

- I remember going
to a local pageant,

and I looked at the
women competing,

and I just thought they
were absolutely stunning.

I was just amazed at
how talented they were,

and I wanted to be like that.

- Miss America used to be a
symbol of like, your everyday,

you know, girl next
door, the ideal,

and it was about finding the
one woman who represents the,

you know, perfect,
all-around girl.

- [Angela] Miss America
attracts a certain type

of woman, I think
again, they're driven.

- [Announcer] Kara
Martin, Miss Georgia.

[audience cheering]

- They wanna change the world.

They wanna serve, but they
wanna be the whole package.

I think they strive to be
excellent in all areas.

[audience cheering]
[tense music]

- There's something
inside of you

that's driving you to
wanna be extraordinary,

to want to push yourself to,
how physically fit can I be?

How amazing can I
make my talent?

How articulate and
smart can I be?

[woman singing]

- This is not something
that you can do at 50%.

This is something that
you have to do at 120%.

- I took preparing for interview

and on stage question
the most seriously.

[audience applauds]

- I practice so hard
and prepare so much

that whenever it comes
down to you going on stage,

all you have to do
is just press play.

- Hillary Rodham Clinton.
What do you think?

[audience cheering]
[contestant laughs]

- If you're trying to be
leader of the free world,

everything you say
and do matters.

- My onstage question

was about Julian
Assange and WikiLeaks.

You know, when it came
to that situation,

it was actually
based on espionage,

and that when it comes to
the security of our nation,

we have to focus
on security first.

- The physician's
responsibility is absolutely

to tell the patient.

- You can understand
that they thought

when they were competing
for Miss America

that they would have an audience

to whom they could
talk about the causes

that matter to them.

- Oh my goodness, thank
you for that question.

The person that I
would put on the-

- You've been told
it's wonderful,

why would you be working your
way towards it if it weren't?

- I think it's about
more than obligation.

It's about respect,

and that's what keeps marriages
and families together.

[audience cheering]

- We prepare in the interview
and getting our own appearances

as state title
holders and speaking,

you prepare to be an
advocate for something,

and you're told that's really
the job of Miss America.

[audience applauds]

- When I won,

I was all the more encouraged
that the Miss America program

was truly the place for
celebrating an authentic version

of today's woman.

Because this is the megaphone.

This is what gives me
and you the opportunity

to express those needs
and those concerns.

But my experience taught
me the exact opposite.

[suspenseful music]

- Am I sitting in
the right place?

- [Crew Member]
You are, perfect.

- Okay, perfect. Sounds good.

- [Crew Member] Good.

- [Crew Member]
Thank you, James.

- I remember how much
of a contrast there was

on some of those days
between what I was showing

and what I was feeling,

and that's why nobody
would ever guess,

and as long as you have your
makeup and hair looking good,

and you're smiling, and
everything seems fine,

then there's no way to know

that someone's
struggling behind that.

- Being Miss America greatly
affected my mental health.

There was a discord
or a disconnect

between what you prepared for
and what the job actually was.

An American tradition for
nearly a century, now live

at Historic Boardwalk Hall
on the Atlantic City Shore.

It was some of the
darkest times in my life.

♪ To the oceans

- This job will wear on you

in a way that it's
hard to explain.

[people chatting]

- Some days you will be
smiling and taking pictures

with people in an autograph line

and just cursing
behind your smile.

[audience applauds]

- I think that you'll find
every Miss America has struggled

at some point with
their mental health,

their personal identity
during their year.

- Good morning.
- [Reporter] Good morning.

- There was a pressure to
say that everything's okay.

They made it very clear
that your points were to be,

I'm grateful for
this experience,

everything is wonderful,

and so it became this
overriding feeling

that to say anything
other than that

would be very ungrateful

for the opportunities
you've been given.

And so that was my
constant state of mind

and attitude moving forward
until it became way too much.

[peaceful music]
[birds chirping]

Should we look through?

Look through some of
the ones you're in too.

- Oh yeah, these
are all interesting.

Oh my gosh.

- I think you're wearing
a boa. [Sarah laughs]

And I'm wearing like
a business shirt.

[both laughing]
- [Sarah] Mm.

- Growing up, I
never remember a time

where I wanted to be a princess,

or ballerina, or
anything like that.

My sisters and I would sit
in front of the mirror,

and pretend we were,
you know, news anchors.

Hello, I'm Monty
Graham for CBS News.

Our special guest today
is Taylor Counter,

a special rock star
in Stars of the Sky.

Let me go get her.

Ever since I was eight,

I wanted to be an
attorney, and then a judge,

and then president, and
a Supreme Court Justice.

My parents made it very
clear, very quickly,

that if I was gonna
go to law school,

it was going to be
through scholarships

and through my own funding,

that they were not gonna
be able to do that.

And I think the teen
pageant at that time

was giving a $300 scholarship.

- I'm here with
the newly crowned

Miss Nebraska,
Teresa Scanlan.

How does it feel to be in
a parade as Miss Nebraska?

- Oh my goodness,
this is amazing.

It is so great to
hear all the kids say,

"Oh, I saw you," or "I
got your autograph."

- Winning Miss
Nebraska, oh, it was,

I think the first surprise
in what was possible

and what could be.

[audience cheering]

- Ladies and gentlemen,
your Miss America 2011 is

[upbeat music]

Miss Nebraska,
[audience cheering]

Teresa Scanlan!

- [Teresa] When I won
Miss America 2011,

I was 17 years old,

so I was the youngest
winner since 1937.

- I was really nervous
because she was so young,

and as mature as she is,

can she handle this and all
that's going to come with it?

- Thank you all so,
so much for this.

[audience cheering]

I felt that I was
prepared in every aspect

and I was ready for what
I was going to face,

the caveat being,

I had no clue what all
that was going to entail.

- [Audience] Go Big
Red! Go Big Red!

[upbeat music]

- On behalf of the Miss
America Organization,

we're thrilled to be here

with our newly crowned Miss
America, Teresa Scanlan.

- I really wanted
to accomplish a lot

with this incredible
opportunity I was given.

It was just, go into all
of these interviews.

They would try to remind me
to talk about the sponsors,

to remember the
certain talking points

or things I was supposed to say.

- What's going on in the world?
What's going on back there?

- There's no way
that you can know

what your year will be like.

There were rules of things I
wasn't allowed to talk about.

- My job as Miss America.

There were dos and don'ts
of being Miss America,

and they were
actually handed to me

in a neat, little document
on that first day.

[suspenseful music]

- She will not be on
her phone during events.

She will answer her
phone within 15 minutes

if someone from Miss
America calls her.

She will not leave her room

without the tour
manager knowing,

does not leave the room
without an approved wardrobe,

does not post without
it being approved.

Never speak ill about
the organization.

- It's a year long job.
It's a very difficult job.

It's strenuous, it's tiring,
and you have to be willing

to take take on that challenge.

- Whether it was media
interviews, appearances,

all of it was very carefully
supervised by the organization.

- I'm sitting here with Miss
America herself, Savvy Shields.

[both laugh]

- I would be in interviews
and there's one interviewer,

she asked me a
political question,

I don't remember what it was,

but whoever was with me
from the organization

at the time, completely
stopped the interview

and said, "Start over,
like from the beginning,

We're not talking about
anything political."

And I'm like, "I'm
ready for this.

This is what I prepared for."

[suspenseful music]

- I remember being
asked specifically,

did I think that a l*sbian
woman could be Miss America?

And I remember
emphatically answering,

how do you know
one has not been?

And I remember getting a
lot of heat for that answer.

- They say that
they want someone

who stands on the courage
of their convictions,

that knows who they are,
and what they wanna do,

and who they wanna be,
and that sort of thing.

But then you're almost, kind of,

sometimes robotically
fed talking points,

and so it almost goes
against everything

that they said they
were looking for.

- Thank you.
- Very, very proud of you.

So tell me what your regime is.

- You really don't have a voice,

and you really don't have a say,

as long as you're
underneath the blanket

of the organization.

Doing that for a year gets very,

very tiring and you feel
like you lose your identity.

- Well, I was kind
of the same way,

because I could
only see positive.

I've tried to be the
best that I could be,

tried to be who I
thought I needed

to be to fulfill this role.

They expect absolute
perfection in every way.

The expectations and pressure
are through the roof.

[suspenseful music]

One night when I went
back to my hotel room

and started seeing some YouTube
videos from the pageant,

then I scrolled down
and started seeing some

of the comments.
[phone dings]

"Miss Arkansas should've won.

Miss Nebraska is way too short,

way too smiley, and
not elegant at all."

[phone dings]

Another says "Another
Barbie doll, what a waste."

The comments about intelligence,

I think, always hit the hardest.
[phone dings]

"She needs to shut up and just
look pretty. Stop talking.

Why do we even care
what her opinion is?"

And I was just devastated.

It felt like a punch in the gut,

right as I was coming
off of this high.

[somber music]

I began to question
myself every time I spoke,

becoming very self-conscious,

rehearsing over and over
again for fear that people

would once again think that I
was stupid and unintelligent.

♪ God bless America

♪ My home sweet home

- I didn't speak
to Teresa very much

during her year as Miss America.

The photos that
were on social media

that we were seeing seemed
like it was a great time,

like she was having
the time of her life.

- The schedule was grueling.

I remember having
sometimes three to five

appearances in one day.

And a different city, every

You know, it seems
glamorous, and yet,

it was very lonely, many times.

- I felt very alone.
It's very isolating.

It's just you and your
tour manager all year.

- It is one of the loneliest
years that you have,

because you go back to your
room, and you're by yourself.

[people chatting]

- I wasn't allowed to be
seen with my boyfriend.

He wasn't allowed to
be in my hotel room,

be anywhere near my hotel room.

- I think my mom
was very surprised.

I think she expected there

to be far more communication
from the organization.

- There was little to no time

to connect with
friends and family.

I did not see the people
that I was closest to

for a very long time.

I spoke to my parents
about once a month.

Often they didn't know where
I was or what I was doing.

I don't remember there being
any concern about my age

and what I was experiencing.

- I believe that they recognize

that if the parents
knew everything

about what is happening

with their often young
daughter during the year,

that they would be up in
arms about some of the ways

that she was treated,
or being exploited.

They wanted to
steer parents away

from making too much trouble,

and taking away some of their
control over the Miss America.

- America needs to rise,

and that's exactly what
I'm trying to give.

I was trying so hard,
desperately, in fact,

to be everything for everyone.

[people chatting]

I did not have much contact
with my friends and family

throughout the year.

I was not sleeping.

I did feel alone on the road.

[suspenseful music]

At the halfway point of my year,

my travel companion
and I are talking

about the next day's appearance
and the next day's travels.

She receives a fax transmission
at our hotel stating

that I was to appear
in the offices

in Atlantic City the next day,

instead of going on
to my next appearance.

[suspenseful music]

When we arrived at the
Miss America offices,

sitting in the boardroom
was Bob Renneisen, our CEO,

he took out a copy of
what was my contract.

he took out a copy of
what was my contract.

He slammed it down on
the table and said,

"Is your name on this contract?"

Yes, absolutely.

And he looked me square
in the eyes and said,

"Then I own you."

[suspenseful music]

- He said, "Miss America
works for the organization,

not the opposite."

He said, "We don't work for you.

Should I feel that you're not
fulfilling the obligations

that are set forth
in this contract,

I can remove you at any time."

He then went on to tell me
about a letter that my parents

had written that
detailed their grievances

with the Miss
America Organization.

It detailed their concern
from my wellbeing,

because they had been cut off
from communication with me.

It detailed these invoices
that they had been sent

for charges that they
had not approved.

It detailed other misgivings
with the organization,

and therefore, made them
worry for my safety.

I knew nothing about the letter.

[tense music]

He demanded that I appear at a
press conference the next day

and deliver a statement that
he prepared for me to say.

At that point, I felt
contractually obligated to say

that I was perfectly happy
in my job as Miss America.

And that was a half truth.

That was one of the first
things that came about

from this entire episode
was, "Mom and Dad,

maybe we should communicate a
little bit more about the fact

that I would like to
specifically address these

with the Miss
America Organization,

and if you have concerns,
please go to me."

And they were completely
understanding of that.

[somber music]

I felt like I did not have
my own voice in that moment.

I felt like my
voice didn't matter.

I felt embarrassed.

I felt shame.

A lot of shame for a situation
that I did not cause.

[gentle music]

- I think the
organization did not want,

I don't wanna say that they
wanted me to feel isolated,

because I don't think
that that's true.

I think I would be
exaggerating if I said that,

but I do think that they wanted
Miss America to need them,

not the other way around.

[somber music]

- Around eight
months into my year,

I was told that I was meeting
with the board of directors.

This was my one and only chance
to address all of my concerns.

And one was that the
organization as a whole

does not do a great job of
listening to its title holders.

There had been times all the
way back to when I competed

in Miss America that maybe
the contestants competing

did not have a
positive experience,

and wanted to let the
organization know that.

How can we improve that?
How can we change that?

[tense music]

It was not received well.

Sam Haskell was the chairman
of the board at the time,

and I think he was the driver

for the reaction being
the way that it was.

He was visibly defensive,

and basically told me
in front of everyone

that I had not recognized
the contributions

that all of the board
members were making

to the organization.

And then outside, once
the meeting was over,

came out and told me that he
was very disappointed and hurt,

and that I needed to
issue a written apology

to all of the board members,

and basically say
everything was okay.

- [Crew Member]
Hold your hand open.

- [Crew Member] Yeah.
- [Crew Member] Good.

- When it comes down to it,

I was very regulated, and I
think that is something where,

you know, I'm five years in,

and I still get weird
talking about it, honestly.

I still feel like I'm
gonna get in trouble.

It was made clear to me
early on, for Miss Americas,

if you're a well-behaved
Miss America,

or if you bring them
trouble that Sam can make

your life harder or
better during your year.

[suspenseful music]

About a few weeks in, he goes,

"Well, you know, I have
some of my Miss Americas

that work as spies for me.

I believe these people were
kind of in place to let him know

what people were saying
about Miss America,

how she was actually doing.

But I can look back on
those times now and say,

I did not know who to trust.

The feeling of isolation and
the feeling of they don't care

about me wasn't one
particular moment.

It was more of just kind
of this dark gray cloud

that just kept getting bigger.

[suspenseful music]

[people chatting]

- Well, here we go.

During my year,

I felt like 80% of my job
was beholden to sponsorships,

sponsorship relationships,
and sponsorship obligations.

You are told to
tie your opinions

to those relationships to
keep that money flowing.

One of the lowest points
where I almost felt a sl*ve

to sponsorship was during the
time that my then-boyfriend,

now-husband's
mother was passing.

- So it was toward the end of
my year when I heard the news

that one of my best
friends had passed away.

It was really the first
time that someone very close

to me had passed as well.

- I was told that
I could not go home

because I had an
appearance with a sponsor.

- So the decision came down
from the top leadership

in Miss America that I
could not go to the funeral,

and needed to stay
and do the event.

[somber music]

- [Caressa] I was
almost in disbelief,

but I was too scared, you know,

to advocate for
myself in that moment,

because DSW appearances
were high, high priority.

- I was told that this
was the type of moment

that defined Miss America being
strong, and doing her job,

and doing her appearance,

even when she's having
a hard time personally.

- It was one of
the worst moments

that I think we've ever
walked through as a couple.

I couldn't be his
person in that moment,

because I had to sign
autographs at a shoe store.

- [Teresa] I feel a lot of
guilt about not being there

for his family at a time

when that was really
important to them.

- I just, to this day, regret
not hopping on a plane,

and doing whatever I
needed to do to be there,

and that was heartbreaking.

[tense music]

- I have the most amazing date
this year for Miss America,

and I cannot wait for
you all to meet him.

So tune in to the Children's
Miracle Network Hospitals live

at the Miss America Red Carpet.

[suspenseful music]

I think towards like, the
last quarter of my year,

I was operating at an
anxiety level 10 constantly.

It was an accumulation of a year

of being told no a
thousand different times.

I was constantly in fear
of doing something wrong,

and I still am.

I felt very alone
within the organization,

and that's why I
wanted someone with me

for my last two
weeks, for I just was,

I wasn't fully there.

I was truthfully
barely hanging on.

And so for the two
weeks that I would be

in Atlantic City, I
wanted my mom with me.

Today's International Women's
Day, so I brought a woman,

AKA my mom, AKA
Care Bear, with me.

She's my person, my best friend,

and I wanted someone that
I knew I could trust.

[pensive music]

There was a phone call
where we were gonna discuss

if that was a
possibility or not.

And so I get on the phone,

and all of the men in the
organization were on the phone,

and basically completely
shut that idea down,

and went a step further, and
said that I'm not allowed

to interact with my
mom during the week of,

that she's not allowed
to go to any event,

she's not allowed to go
to the arrival ceremony.

She's not allowed to
be a part of anything.

And as a 21 year old being
told by five men what to do,

there was no way I was
gonna argue with that.

It's very hard to stand up for
yourself when you're alone.

And maybe that was
intentional from them.

[dramatic music]

- [Announcer] Miss Wisconsin!
[audience cheering]

Laura Kaeppeler!

- The moment the
crown was on her head

and I stepped off stage,

all of that is now occurring
for the next woman,

and all of those things
that I experienced,

the whirlwind,
and the moving on,

and everything
hitting you at once

is happening to this
next unsuspecting woman.

[suspenseful music]

And so just as quickly
as you're thrown into it,

that's how quickly
you're thrown out of it,

and everything just changes.

There was sort of
this frantic energy

to keep up the momentum,

because when there's
these open doors,

I was so afraid of
missing opportunity.

Within a couple months
after giving up my title,

I was feeling mounting pressure
and mounting overwhelm.

I began to notice
that certain things

were not anymore providing
the contentment, or joy,

or enthusiasm that they used to.

Instead, I was doing things
from a place of fear,

and self-consciousness,

and worry about what people
thought about me solely.

And I just didn't
wanna do it anymore.

[gentle music]

And I noticed one time
when I was with my family

during a holiday that
everybody was so happy

and having a great time,

[people chatting]

and I was watching everybody,

and it felt like a sort
of out-of-body experience

where I was just viewing
this whole scene,

and I was glad that
everybody was happy.

And so I felt sort of peaceful
and content about that,

but also just wanted
to disappear myself,

because I didn't feel that I
was actually in the experience.

I felt very detached.

- She was just being a
little more reserved,

a little more, just
seeming not herself,

not as engaging with the family,

with sisters as much as before.

♪ To you
[cheering]

- And just to see that
spark go out is really hard.

[birds chirping]
[peaceful music]

- A day that was most
severe for me when I hiked

at the top of the Scotts
Bluff National Monument,

and just felt so overwhelmed
with life and so crushed,

so hopeless, that
looking out from the top,

I just did not want
to exist anymore.

It was too much to handle,

and I figured that
it would be better,

and somehow a better option
to just not be here anymore.

[tense music]

[gentle music]

- I just don't know
how many people

can understand the pressure,

the pressure that you
just wanna escape from.

And if you can't escape and
if you don't see a way out,

then that feels like the only
option, and it shouldn't be.

It shouldn't ever be,

because why is it so terrible
to disappoint everyone?

That's the worst
thing in the world,

just to disappoint people.

And what's crazy is that
we all put ourselves

in this position where
we would rather die

than disappoint people,
because it seems less painful,

because that's how
we'll get rest,

and that's how we'll get peace.

- Hearing how she had gone
so far as to, you know,

not want to be living anymore
was really hard to hear.

And then it just makes
you scared, and, you know,

if that could ever happen again,

and you just wanna protect her
and guard her, and, you know,

that was very hard to hear as
a sister, as a family member.

[suspenseful music]

- At the time,

I thought perhaps
that it was chronic

that I was always
going to feel this way,

that there was no end in sight,

yet later realized
it was actually

a relatively short-term
experience for me.

It's different for everybody,

but for me it was
relatively short-term,

because I began to
realize I had basically,

in so many different
facets of life,

set myself up for
struggling the most.

And so I talked to
my parents about it,

and reached out for
help, started, you know,

actually talking to and
seeing professionals

who could help me,

and that was when I began
speaking more openly

about what I had experienced,

and the struggles that
were a part of it.

[suspenseful music]

- When Teresa shared her story,
I remember reading it, going,

"Yep, yep. I remember
feeling that."

You know, just to know
that that type of story

is not uncommon among all of us

who have held the
title of Miss America.

- It was very valuable
to hear such authentic

and candid words
about the experience

of being Miss America
from a former herself.

- I don't think I
fully appreciated.

It was such a universal
experience with so many people

that it was shocking that we
hadn't talked more about it.

[audience cheering]
[suspenseful music]

- The really difficult part

was coming back home
from being Miss America.

Then I didn't feel that
it was much support.

It was kind of like, you crown
the new girl, you're out.

You're done, thanks
for your service. Bye.

I didn't feel like there
was any transition.

I was so exhausted.
I was so burnt out.

I was so tired.

But I also think that I was
falling into a depression

that I didn't know that
I was going through.

- The day in, day
out rigor of having

to be everyone's ideal
takes a very big mental

and emotional toll,
and it built up habits

that I would have to
break down years later.

- I was just very impressed
that Teresa was willing

to put herself in the
position of scrutiny.

At that time, that was
really the beginnings

of the mental
health conversation.

- I know that I resonated
with many of the feelings

that she expressed.

Others did as well,

and I think it all gave
us a lot of motivation

to take care of
one another better,

and to use the struggle
that we had been through

to help other girls who
were going to be competing.

- I do think that the
leadership at that time

had a responsibility, not
just because of my age,

but for any young woman.

- Through the years, I think-

- The organization was
always just barely afloat,

always so worried about
its own internal issues

that I just don't think
they were thinking

about Miss America herself.

[suspenseful music]

- In this email thread,

the Miss Americas themselves
are discussing the potential

for creating some sort
of transition team,

essentially, for the
outgoing Miss America,

so that she feels supported
in her transition,

like dealing with the
psychological aspect

of it all, et cetera.

The reason that this
conversation thread started

in the first place was
that Teresa Scanlan

had brought it up.

It was forwarded to the CEO

and chairman of the
board, Sam Haskell.

To my knowledge, there was no

formal acknowledgement
of any of our concerns

regarding the mental health
of the women who participate.

[suspenseful music]

- It's ridiculous that
it's even a conversation

to have to talk about
having more support

and help in place
for Miss America.

- [Producer] I mean, how did
they change their protocols

after you went public?

How much welfare support did
they introduce for young women

after you spoke up?

- Yeah, not anything
that I know of.

There is nothing that
I've ever heard of

of the organizations
supporting, or doing,

or helping in that time period.

[suspenseful music]

[suspenseful music]
[siren wailing]

- Authorities are
investigating the tragic death

of a former Miss USA,

who apparently took her
own life at the age of 30.

[suspenseful music]

- I think when I
heard about Cheslie,

it just took me straight
back to 10 years ago,

and I just thought, that
could have been me.

- It absolutely rocked

the entire pageant world,

the Miss America world,
as much as Miss USA.

- The social media outpour
from other women who had gone

through the Miss
America, Miss USA,

or Miss Universe systems,

the amount of women who
said me too was alarming.

- It opened everyone's
eyes that there need

to be more resources for women

who are taking on these
national title positions.

[suspenseful music]

- It's not worth it
if it's going to be

at the price of ourselves
and our sisters.

- I think this is probably
the group that, again-

- Teresa was 10 years prior
to my winning Miss America.

She was very open
about her struggles.

This is not something new,

and so maybe those
types of stories

could have been an impetus
to make some changes

or provide resources, but
obviously that hasn't happened.

I mean, does it take a Miss
America taking her life

for an organization to
directly address it?

I hope it doesn't.

- I want them to understand
how important that is.

- I'd love to see us, you know,

have some real support
structures in place,

not just for the people
who've won the title,

but for the candidates
in the program as well.

But it's an ongoing
conversation for us

on what could we
be doing better,

because it's an important issue,

and I'd love to see some kind
of national policies in place.

We really don't have anything.

[audience applauds]
[upbeat music]

- I believe in progress,

and if you see that you've
been doing something

that's been hurting people,

then you should change.

I don't see change
as a bad thing.

I see change as
necessary for being able

to preserve the organization.

[audience cheering]

- Decades ago, I think
Miss America was viewed

as a symbol of America, right?

And especially American
femininity, right?

- [Announcer] Boys,
hold your breath.

The girls are fighting it
out with smiles and curves.

- It was a very narrow view
of what one should hope for,

I think, as a woman in America.

- [Announcer] Militant
feminists say the contest

is absurd and demeaning.

- [Announcer] Miss Hawaii.

- It seems like they
still have not learned

the error of their ways,

but I still credit Miss
America for giving me the life

that I have now.

- There would just have been
no way to gain that level

of understanding of
the world and people,

and having all of this breadth

of experience doing
anything else.

- It is my most
prized possession.

[upbeat music]
[audience applauds]

There were difficult
conversations

among the former Miss Americas,
and many different opinions.

I think that some saw
it as a slippery slope

toward losing the organization.

It's tradition, it's values.

- They don't want her to be
a queen. And why is that bad?

Well, 'cause it's not feminist,
and it's not progressive.

- Tradition can be
something to take pride in,

but tradition can
also be the thing

that kills an organization.

I think the Miss
America Organization

from the top has to
hold itself accountable,

not only at the national level,

but has to hold the state
organizations accountable.

- Good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you so much for being here

and supporting all these
amazing candidates.

- I think we've failed
as an organization

to evolve with the times.

If Miss America isn't willing
to continually reevaluate

and evolve when needed,
it's not gonna survive.

- I would tell the
story of Miss America,

go to every single state,
and share why we're relevant.

- I hope that they are able

to recognize that young women
can advocate for themselves,

and that we're not
going to sit down

and be taken advantage of.

[audience cheering]
[upbeat music]

- The organization, in my
opinion, should be fostering,

supporting, helping the
future leaders of America,

and they should be women.

Can this not be an
actual foundation?

Can we not set a
different set of criteria

based on academics,
mission statements?

You know, can it not be
any shape, size, color,

whatever of a woman
to enter this?

Let's create something
better for women.

- [Announcer] Miss Colorado!

- It should not be
about holding women

to one standard of beauty,
perfection, or success.

It can be so much
more than that.

And if it can't, then I don't
see the need for it anymore.