Female military officer crowned Miss America 2024, controversial beauty

Alma Cooper, 22, won the 73rd Miss America pageant, which took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on the evening of August 4. Cooper is a U.S. Army intelligence officer, with the rank of second lieutenant.

Going through bikini performances, evening dresses and behavior, Alma Cooper defeated 50 other contestants to become the representative of the United States at Miss Universe 2024 taking place later this year in Mexico. She was handed back the prestigious crown by Miss Universe USA 2023 - the beauty Savannah Gankiewicz with mixed Vietnamese, Polish and Filipino blood.

According to the application, Cooper's graduation was in the top 5% of his class at West Point Military Academy, one of the most prestigious military training institutions of the U.S. military. She also studied for a master's degree in data science at Stanford University, winning a Knight-Hennessy scholarship.

When reaching the top 5 finalists, Cooper and the contestants received the question: "How to bridge the gap between cultures and promote understanding and respect?"

"As the daughter of an immigrant worker, a proud Latino-African woman and an American military officer, I am living the American dream. My life and my mother taught me that circumstances never determine my fate," Cooper replied.

The female soldier also expressed what being crowned Miss America means to herself. "I will have the opportunity to show that you can do the same as me. I want to prove that by trying to reach your full potential, success will come to everyone," Cooper said.

After the final, Alma Cooper's beauty became a topic of discussion on beauty forums. Many people criticized her face as unfeminine, disproportionate, and protruding teeth. The smile of the new Miss America was commented not to be radiant.

"She has an impressive profile, but I don't feel this beauty", "Her smile is unnatural", "Her beauty is too different, not suitable for beauty contests"... are the comments of the audience. However, there is still an opinion that Alma Cooper's beauty is not brilliant but individual, not mixed with other girls.

The Miss America 2024 finale was televised live, with MC Garcelle Beauvais from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and host Keltie Knight of E! News. This year's contest returns to the state of California, where it has been held since 2007.

The jury includes shoe designer Jojo Bragais, former Miss America Carole Gist and journalist Lu Parker. The final round takes place for 3 days. Previously, Addie Carver (17 years old) from Mississippi was honored as Miss Teen USA 2024.

Miss USA is an annual beauty contest with a long history, starting in 1952, selecting beauties to go to the Miss Universe contest. In recent years, Miss USA has been entangled in many scandals related to the leadership of this organization. In May, reigning Miss Noelia Voigt from Utah relinquished the title on the grounds that she wanted to focus on mental health. Soon after, the reigning teen beauty UmaSofia Srivastava, also resigned. Many people have accused Miss USA of having a toxic working environment, poor management and coercion of the Miss USA.

Runner-up Savannah Gankiewicz from the state of Hawaii was appointed Miss Universe amid many controversies and had the shortest term (three months) in the history of the pageant.

The United States is one of the countries with the best performance at the Miss Universe pageant. In which, the United States has 9 representatives who own the title of Miss Universe, surpassing Venezuela with 7 victories, Puerto Rico with 5 victories, and the Philippines with 4 victories.

The most recent victory of the American representative in the Miss Universe arena is the beauty R'Bonney Gabriel, who was crowned in the 2022 season. American beauty Noelia Voigt only stopped in the top 20 of the Miss Universe 2023 contest.

BTC Hoa hậu Mỹ bỏ đói thí sinh, tổ chức sơ sài, tân hoa hậu được thiên vị? Minh Lợi17:02:08 16/08/2024Chung kết Hoa hậu Mỹ 2024 đã kết thúc hơn 10 ngày nhưng đến nay cuộc thi vẫn gây tranh cãi. Năm nay, người đẹp Alma Cooper - đại diện bang Michigan đã giành quyền đại diện nước Mỹ tham dự Hoa hậu Hoàn vũ 2024 tổ chức ở Mexico.