Miss America Contestant Opts for Eco-Friendly Evening Wear
Are there many things more anachronistic in the 21st Century U.S. than the Miss America Pageant? (Come on, even the term “Miss” sounds dated when applied to human females older than, say, 11.) Still, if the storied annual beauty pageant must continue, it might as well do so in a way that’s a bit more up to date.
And so it shall, at least for one contestant: Ashley Ruth Wheeler, aka Miss Vermont, is taking the pageant into modernity by choosing to wear a green — as in eco-friendly — gown. Her dress will not only be locally designed, but made with hemp, organic cotton, organic silk and recycled beads and lace.
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MSNBC reported last week that Wheeler made her choice for two main reasons: she wants to get people talking about the environment, and she wants to support her local economy. Sounds like she’s been reading some Bill McKibben there, huh?
Wheeler said she believes she’s probably the first pageant participant to go green, and she’s probably right, at least from a deeds rather than words perspective. Pageant organizers should take note. I scoured the official Miss America Website for a while and couldn’t find signs of a pageant-wide, eco-focused initiative of any kind. (I’ll be happy if organizers can prove me wrong.)
Still, while I probably won’t be watching the televised beauty extravaganza on Jan. 24, I will be rooting for Miss Vermont. I might be an Illinois native now transplanted in Florida, but this will be one night I can be a booster for the Green Mountain State.
