Theresa Vail, Miss Kansas, is a bowhunter and an expert marksman for the U.S. Army. And she’s running for Miss America.
She is the first contestant to bare tattoos in the competition.
“Why am I choosing to bear my tattoos?” Vail said in an interview with People Magazine. “My whole platform is empowering women to overcome stereotypes and break barriers. What a hypocrite I would be if I covered my ink. How can I tell other women to be fearless and true to themselves if I can’t do the same? I am who I am, tattoos and all.”
Her tattoos are on the side of her stomach and her left shoulder and were seen during the swimsuit portion of the competition.
She is also the second contestant in the military to compete.
Vail, born in 1990, says on her Miss Kansas webpage that she wants to get a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Chinese and a Doctorate in Dental Surgery and become a dentist for the Army.
