America has crowned its newest beauty queen during the 92nd Miss America Pageant 2013 on Saturday night. Miss New York, Mallory Hytes Hagan, 23, of Brooklyn was named Miss America 2013 in Las Vegas.
Hagan, who attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, ran on her platform issue of child sexual abuse prevention, USA Today reported. The new Miss American led the swimsuit competition and performed a tap dance to James Brown's Get Up Offa That Thing.
According to the Associated Press, Hagan will spend her title reign year on a national speaking tour while raising money for the Children's Miracle Network. The 23-year-old beat out fellow Top 5 contestants Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers, Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton, Miss Wyoming Lexie Madden and Miss Iowa Mariah Cary.
Prior to the competition, several contestants made national headlines for their interesting back stories, the AP reported. Miss Montana, who made it to the semifinals, is the pageant's first autistic contestant, while Miss Iowa has Tourette's syndrome. Other contestants grabbed viewers' attention during the pageant.
Miss Iowa Mariah Cary dominated talk on Twitter after responding to her question on marijuana legislation. Cary responded, "I think that depends on the situation. I personally know people who have had to go to medical marijuana for their last resort for their health care and I support that. However, I do not think it should be used for anything but recreational use and health care."
Miss New York's question, focused on another hotly debated topic--gun control. The new Miss America was asked, "Do you think that [armed guards] would make our schools safer?" She answered, "I actually don't. I don't think the proper way to fight violence is with violence."
The competition ended with Miss New York as the newest Miss America, with Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers as the first runner up.
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