Miss New York Mallory Hagan was crowned Miss America 2013 Saturday night after nailing a question about guns.
“Oh, my God. Thank you,” Hagan mouthed as she dissolved into tears onstage at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Hagan, a 23-year-old Fashion Institute of Technology student from Park Slope, beat out a bevy of beauties from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Hagan also wowed the crowd with a dazzling tap dance to James Brown’s “Get Up Off Of That Thing.”
Hagan’s crowning ended a three-decade dry spell for New York contestants. The last Miss New York to win the competition was Vanessa Williams, who became Miss America 1984 but had to surrender the crown before her year was over after racy photos of her with another woman surfaced.
The humiliating setback became career gold for Williams, who has enjoyed a successful acting career.
Hagan’s title as Miss America 2013 gives her a $50,000 scholarship and a yearlong run as an advocate and role model. As Miss New York 2012, she focused on child sexual abuse awareness and prevention, an issue that hits close to home.
“Hagan has chosen to honor the women in her family who have been victims of sexual abuse by sharing their personal stories and encouraging others to take a stand,” reads her Miss New York profile.
In a recent interview, Hagan described her love of Brooklyn, her home since 2008. “I love the diversity in Brooklyn, that you can be in a Hasidic neighborhood one day, a Russian one the next day, and a Latino one after that,” Hagan, who has lived in Bed-Stuy, Sunset Park and Williamsburg, told the Brooklyn Paper.
This year’s competition was replete with compelling storylines. Miss District of Columbia Allyn Rose plans to undergo a preventive double mastectomy after the competition. Miss Montana Alexis Wineman was the pageant’s first autistic contestant. Miss Iowa Mariah Cary struggles with
Tourette syndrome and Miss Maine Molly Bouchard lost more than 50 pounds to win her state crown.
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