Pageant News Bureau

P a g e a n t N e w s B u r e a u

Another day for Kimberly

Editor's note: Kimberly's last name and the state in which she competed are no secret. But we chose not to focus on them, because her story has meaning for the whole pageant world. A special section on the pageant's winner will come later.

It's a bright, warm October afternoon in a small Southern city. For most people, it's a day to relax. But for pageant fans, it's one of the most exciting days of the year. The state's delegate to Miss Teen USA is going to be chosen.

Photo by Joe Whiteko / PNB

Some of the contestants in the state pageant drove in from nearby communities. Some of them rode hundreds of miles with their families. Kimberly took a jet from Europe.

When the eager teenage girls line up on the stage, Kimberly is hard to miss. She's as tall as a man. She has long red hair, voluptuous lips and porcelain-doll skin. She looks very comfortable on the runway.

Kimberly is a model. She's based in Milan, Italy, and she has appeared in more European magazines than she can count, in at least four languages. She has met movie stars and attended parties with royalty. She has even been chased by paparazzi. (Luckily, she has long legs.)

She divides her time between her suburban American home and an apartment in Milan, with frequent side trips to Germany and France. She takes special courses to keep up with her education. When she's not home, she's on the phone with her mother.

Photo by Joe Whiteko / PNB

Kimberly was a child beauty queen and did a bit of acting as a young girl. When she began to grow tall, at age 12, she found herself in serious demand as a model. In the past three years, the glamour business has taken her to unexpected places. But her childhood dream of being Miss Teen USA is something she won't give up.

When the 10 semifinalists are chosen, Kimberly is in the group. When the subject of her modeling career is brought up, she chats about it casually. She finds it fun, but she clearly doesn't consider herself anybody special. In her conversation, she is remarkably like any other 16-year-old Southern girl.

Then the contestants are narrowed to five. And Kimberly is one of them. It's beginning to look as if her dream might come true today, just as so many other dreams have done in the past few years.

As part of the final round, she is asked a hard question: What is her greatest worry?

"I don't want to grow old without a man," she says. It's an unexpected answer, and people in the audience begin to laugh.

The teenage model explains. "My mother is divorced, and she's alone. . . . I don't want to grow old without a man." Some people still find it funny, but there are more than a few moist eyes in the auditorium.

Kimberly does not win. When the names are called, she is second runner-up.

Some of the girls who didn't make it leave quickly. Some stay and smile broadly to hide their disappointment. But Kimberly seems unaffected. She doesn't pout, she sheds no tears. She hugs her fellow competitors, thanks the judges warmly and strides out to get reacquainted with friends she seldom sees.

"She can handle this," her mother says, looking on from a distance. "Dealing with rejection is part of being a model."

Kimberly spends the next day with her family and friends. In her hometown, she doesn't have to hide behind sunglasses. The only people who recognize her are people who watched her grow up.

The next morning, she flies back to Milan. She calls her mother to reassure her that she made it safely.

The day after that is Kimberly's birthday. She's 17, still a teenager, and she'll be back.

Unless otherwise credited, photos are courtesy of Kimberly

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