In a crowd, Grace Stahl acts just as any other high schooler would. She hangs out with her friends, enjoys family time, and spends time doing homework for her classes. However, that isn’t all there is to Stahl: amongst many other activities, she also competes in beauty pageants. Last year she won the title of Miss Minnesota Teen, and competed nationally for Miss Teen USA. Stahl has big dreams for her future and for the future of young girls, “With my title I’ve been able to advocate for confidence building in young girls. That’s something that’s really important to me, and that’s something that I’ve used that platform to do.” Though at face value pageants seem to only award contestants a title based on looks, that could not be further from the truth. “Any girl can look beautiful in a dress and makeup, but what will really help you win is if you have a cause you care about and you have the ability to advocate for it,” said Stahl in a recent interview. Every participant has to use the pageant as a platform to advocate for a cause.
Stahl advocated for confidence building in young girls, but there are many causes a girl can advocate for. Sourced from the Miss America website: Maria Marsh, Miss America 2024, lost her mother to pancreatic cancer and used the Miss America organization to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer, and in 2009 the then winner of Miss America Katie Stam, promoted community service and involvement.
There are countless other organizations and causes that girls have advocated for, it’s especially important because so many people watch these pageants.“These girls are so accomplished,” commented Stahl, “A lot of pageant girls become news anchors, or scientists. The current Miss America is a pilot in the Air Force. She’s doing graduate school at Harvard, it’s not the same as it used to be.”
In past years the Miss America pageant was less about the achievements of the individual girl. There used to be a portion of the competition in which the girls wore swimsuits, which ended in 2018. Now, 50% of a contestant’s score is based on their interview. When Stahl was interviewed at the national level she was judged by countless accomplished women, including NASA astronaut Rylie Arnold. Stahl explains, “interviews vary depending on the judges, I like to say, ‘different judges have different outcomes’… You can get a range of questions. It can be about you and your resume or it could be a random political question. You have to be very prepared for anything that could come your way. Practicing different questions, and how to carry yourself in an interview, posture and how to say what you’re trying to say.” Seeing as the interview score is the most graded part of the pageant, and probably most nerve wracking; putting on the right makeup and wearing the best dress is not a contestants first priority. “Anyone can do a pageant, it’s not about how you look.” Stahl hopes to compete again when she’s 19 for the Miss USA title, and then onto Miss Universe. What’s miraculous is that Stahl hasn’t been doing pageants since she was five, she started two years ago.
Stahl’s family friend was a former Miss South Dakota, and took her to see a local pageant. Stahl recalls, “I had the expectation that it was really just about beauty, kind of more external, not super of substance, but then when I got to watch the girls I got to see how smart, accomplished and ambitious they were, how they shared their platforms… I thought that was super interesting and it really piqued my interest in doing [a pageant].” Stahl competed locally as Miss Minnetonka, the first year she competed she got top 5. “It was really fun and unexpected.” The second year she got first place in the metro, and then won state to become Miss Minnesota Teen USA, “Some girls I have been competing against have been doing it since they were super little. I had some imposter syndrome, ‘maybe this isn’t for me’, but I feel like pageants are something that I connect to, something I’m really good at.” She felt out of place initially, but now she fondly likes to say, “I have a best friend in every state because I got to meet the title holders from every state.” Stahl’s Miss Minnesota Teen USA Instagram is full of pictures she took with these other contestants. Everyone is smiling in their bright colored dresses, it’s clear to see that they welcomed her with open arms.
Stahl was asked if anyone inspired her to try doing pageants and she answered, “My grandmother… She was the Hopkins Raspberry Queen. I grew up looking at photos of her in her crown, and reading articles about her and her time as a queen.” She was also inspired by the media, from time to time she would watch Mrs. USA or Mrs. Universe, and while she didn’t know much about pageants at all she loved to watch the movie, “Miss Congeniality” a comedy movie from 2000 about a FBI agent that is trying to stop a bombing at a pageant, except she also has to compete and become a ‘girly girl’.
Stahl says she’s always been a ‘girly girl’: “I’ve always loved fashion.” After high school, Stahl is going to go to San Diego State University with a focus in business administration and management, “I want to start my own clothing boutique one day.” Stahl also hopes to possibly compete again in the Miss USA competition and then go on to win the title of Miss Universe.
In high school, Stahl has been able to volunteer with “Days for Girls,” an organization that makes homemade reusable period products to send to girls in developing countries and also provides sexual education for these girls in their native language. She volunteers at “Feed my Starving Children” in Chanhassen and helps run “She’s the First,” a young girls advocacy and confidence building club at the high school. Stahl also does hair crew for Minnetonka Theater and teaches Sunday school. Grace Stahl has many big plans for her future, and it seems that nothing can get in her way from taking home another title, or starting her own business. Maybe someday at a pageant she will be one of the accomplished women on the other side of the interview table. Sitting on the side with other women who continue to empower young girls all over the world.
