A woman has become the first person with down syndrome to compete in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.
Holmgren is no stranger to pageantry. Two years ago, she participated in the national Junior Miss Amazing, a pageant for girls and women with disabilities, in Los Angeles and was crowned Minnesota Junior Miss Amazing 2015.
Holmgren’s participation reflects how beauty ideals are becoming more diverse. Last year in the same pageant, A. Halima Aden, a Somali-American woman became a semifinalist being the first person to compete wearing a hijab.
Jordan Buckellew, the director of Minnesota Miss Amazing, told StarTribute in April that “beauty isn’t a box that we can fit in.”
“We’re stepping away from the Miss Congeniality vibe where everyone has blond hair and blue eyes. That’s not what we accept or define as beauty anymore,” Buckellew said.
The 22-year-old is determined to show that her disability does not define her. As an accomplished dancer, Holmgren has demonstrated an unyielding self-confidence that has been inspiring other people.
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