Regan Hutsell is 25, a former Radio City Rockette, and now Miss America 2027, the 99th woman to hold the title. She’s also the first woman of color to win the crown wearing her natural hair. But the story she’s telling from that stage started years before any sash, back when an eating disorder took hold while she was working in the dance world.
Hutsell says everything shifted when a coach told her that even though her body had been her instrument, it is first and always her home. That reframe came alongside real clinical care, a psychologist and a dietitian, and a faith that deepened through Psalm 139:14, the verse about being fearfully and wonderfully made. She now calls hope the thing that gets you through the hardest moments.
Her community service initiative, Your Body Is Your Home, takes that same message to girls who are navigating the pressure she once faced. In pageants and dance, where appearance is the whole game, hearing the reigning Miss America talk about health instead of size is a rare and genuinely hopeful counter-narrative.
What’s one sentence someone said to you that changed how you see yourself? Tell us in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.