SHE'S THE GIRL OF SUMMER (S)
Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers takes NYC - and defends pageant swimsuit contests
NEWLY crowned Miss USA Sarah Rose Summers is ready to take on New York — and pageant critics.
In May, the 23-year-old from Omaha, Neb., moved to Midtown to begin her reign. But she wants the whole country to know that beauty pageants are more relevant than ever.
Summers told The Post that there’s a public misconception about pageant girls wanting everything handed to them — “That we all desire the ground laid for us.” In reality, she added, “We’re all willing to do the hard work and study our booties off.”
On June 5, the Miss America Organization (which is not affiliated with Miss USA) announced that it would do away with the 96year-old contest’s swimsuit and evening gown competitions. Gretchen Carlson, the new pageant’s chairwoman, told “Good Morning America,” “We are no longer a pageant; we are a competition. We will no longer judge our candidates on their outward physical appearance.”
Similarly, Miss World — into which the Miss America pageant feeds — will no longer feature those categories. But Summers said that Miss USA’s swimsuit contest is empowering.
“I respect other companies’ decisions, but I love the [swimsuit] competition — it’s a tradition,” said Summers, who was a fitness trainer and worked at Lululemon. “It’s one of the most empowering moments. I’m proud of my body.”
And she said that in the age of #MeToo,
Americans should support what women want to do with their own bodies.
“[Miss USA contestants] choose to stand up there — that’s our choice; not everybody has to do it,” she said. “We’re supposed to be standing up for women’s decisions.”
Indeed, Summers embraces the choices she’s made for herself. She competed in her first pageant when she was 10 years old.
“It was always my dream to become Miss USA,” she said. “My goal was to compete on the Miss USA stage as [Miss] Nebraska.”
In 2017, Summers graduated from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth with degrees in child development and strategic communication. She then became a child-life specialist, helping families cope with the traumatic experience of having a child hospitalized and dealing with illness.
“I always wanted to work in a children’s hospital, but I never wanted to be the one giving [shots],” said Summers, who has one older brother. Her mother is a stay-at-home mom while her father works in finance.
While many beauty queens shy away from talking politics, Summers openly admits she is concerned about President Trump’s zerotolerance immigration policy, which has led to the separation of kids from their parents who have crossed the Mexico-US border illegally. (Trump owned the Miss USA pageant from 1996 to 2015.) Having volunteered at foster homes where children were removed from their homes, she understands the trauma that causes.
“I was thinking about the behavioral issues this can cause,” Summers said. “These kids are in fight-or-flight mode ... and they need individual care.”
Summers hopes to visit as many children’s hospitals as she can during her reign. In her downtime, she’s enjoying living in New York City for the first time.
“I want to go to a Yankees game, and I’m a big football fan so I definitely want to go check out a [Jets or Giants] game,” explained Summers, who says she is in a relationship but declined to elaborate. “I want to see ‘Frozen.’ I love Broadway.
“I’m soaking it all in,” she added. “I had paparazzi taking photos of me. I’d never anticipated that!”