As a target of plenty of name calling, Miss USA Deshauna Barber speaks out on stereotypes in the beauty pageant industry.
In a recent interview with People, Miss USA expressed the importance of using her time wearing the crown to fight back against negative criticism and stereotyping by showing that diversity is beautiful and that women come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Photo: Robert Clyde Grima
“In pageantry, there are the stereotypes that women are airheads or that they’re not educated,” Barber, a military officer, tells PEOPLE. “By winning the Miss USA pageant, I was really able to show that a lot of women have so many backgrounds. We’re all so very unique and diverse so I’m so excited that I’m able to represent that, especially as a woman in the military.”
Deshauna Barber is the first military member to be crowned Miss USA. She joins Tanya Rivero to discuss her historic win, her work in the military and what’s next for her. Watch below: