Just last Sunday, 51 women from across the nation graced the Miss USA stage for millions of viewers. Though Miss Nevada, Nia Sanchez, took home the crown, it was another contestant that caught the attention of thousands.
Women all over the United States are praising Miss Indiana, Mekayla Diehl, for her “normal” body. As she strutted in her white bikini after being called into the top 20, Twitter was being blown up with tweets praising her for her curvy body. Mekayla’s “average women” appearance has made major headlines in media outlets, such as Good Morning America and The New York Times.
Though Miss Indiana admitted that she did train for the Miss USA competition, her training was much different than her other 50 competitors. Instead of going to extremes or limiting her caloric intake, the college athlete trained as she would have for volleyball season and just simply lived a healthy lifestyle.
The publicity Miss Indiana has received for her “normal body” mimics the societal shift we are starting the see when it comes to body image. Being healthy and fit is seemingly starting to become more desirable than striving to become a bag of bones. And thanks to Mekayla Diehl, women from all over the nation can be reassured that healthy is best.
