Miss America Laura Kaeppeler knows a thing or two about beauty contests.
The 24-year-old Wisconsin native, who was crowned in January, isn’t a big fan of the Toddlers & Tiaras / Here Comes Honey Boo Boo culture, however.
“There’s a misconception that pageants are beauty pageants, but Miss America is a scholarship provider,” Kaeppeler told E! News Wednesday night.
“We compete in talent and community service, so there’s a lot more to it.”
Laura says she only started competing in pageants two years ago, at age 22.
She said Miss America is “about being a well-rounded young woman and an empowered female” and that child beauty pageants are pure exploitation.
“I don’t agree with those sort of programs,” Kaeppeler said. “Because I don’t think it’s the child’s want to do that necessarily and the child engaging in that.”
“I think it may come from an outside source. I think if you’re going to do something like [competing in pageants], you should do it because you want to.”
Safe to say we know how she’d score a Here Comes Honey Boo Boo recap.
Your take: Should TLC yank Toddlers & Tiaras and the like?