Is beauty more than skin deep?

The Miss California USA pageant is one of the largest state pageants within the Miss USA pageant system.

“Obviously I want to win and I feel like it would be different, it would be nice to see someone different than what is expected win a beauty pageant such as Miss California USA,” Duvalsaint said.

Diversity has been a long standing controversial issue within pageantry. From its inception in 1921, the Miss America pageant excluded women of color until 1940. In the Miss America organization, there have been eight African-American winners starting with Vanessa Williams in 1984, two Asian-American winners and there are no Latina winners in its history.

Although this may be true, diversity on television is improving, Miss America host Chris Harrison said.

Diversity was recently at the point of contention in pageantry when presidential candidate Donald Trump and former owner of the Miss Universe organization, made a derogatory statement about Latino immigrants. Although Trump no longer owns the pageant, many contestants still feel that the Miss USA pageant could be more diverse. Last year, only ten women of color competed in the 2015 Miss USA pageant. The list includes Miss Arizona, Miss California, Miss Colorado, Miss Delaware, Miss Kansas, Miss Maryland, Miss Nebraska, Miss Nevada, Miss Rhode Island, and Miss Tennessee.

“I mean everybody whether you’re Asian, Latino, African-American, are you seeing yourself represented on television?” Harrison said. “In this day in age, I think you are.”

 Within the Miss Universe organization, there is a wide range of diversity due to the fact there are many countries from around the world competing. Also within the past 10 years, half of the Miss USA titleholders are women of color.  However, the formerly-owned Donald Trump pageant came under fire when Trump made a statement regarding Latino immigrants in his speech announcing he was running for president. 

Consequently, Trump’s caused a domino effect. He received backlash from the Latino community and many of his business partners dropped their partnership. Univision and NBC decided not to air the Miss USA pageant this year. This was the first time the pageant hasn’t aired on NBC since 2003.

Among the Miss Universe contestants, Miss Mexico, Miss Panama and Miss Costa Rica dropped out of the pageant in solidarity of supporting Latinos. The current Miss Universe Paulina Vega, formerly Miss Colombia, criticized Trump for his statement, but decided to keep her crown.

“I find Mr. Trump’s comments unjust and hurtful. As a Colombian and as Miss Universe, I want to show my support and validate the sentiments of the Latin community,” Vega said in an Instagram post.

 In September, Trump sold the Miss Universe organization and is no longer affiliated with the pageant. Although there have been conversations regarding diversity in pageants in the past, the issue of diversity was reignited because of Trump.

Three Miss California USA contestants, who have previously competed, all agreed the Miss USA and Miss California pageants could be more diverse. Miss Corona Del Mar Nadia Mejia is half-Ecuadorian and half- Lebanese. This will be Mejia’s fifth time competing in the pageant. Dani Walker, 25, has competed once before and is a mix of Native American, Mexican and Swedish ethnicities. Lastly, Natalie Duvalsaint, 23, is African American and has competed three times before.

For pageant contestants of color, the issue of race and diversity hit home after Trump’s remarks.

Natalie Iman Duvalsaint, who is African-American, is the current Miss Pacific Coast USA. The 23-year-old has competed in five preliminary pageants and this year will be her third time competing for Miss California USA.

 “If he said and if I was a Miss Universe, something like, ‘I hate Black people’, I would definitely drop out or step down from the Miss Universe organization,” Duvalsaint said.

 Like Vega, there are other Latina pageant contestants who have decided to stay in pageantry despite Trump’s remarks. Ashely Marie Mota is a 3-time Miss California USA competitor and competed in Miss Malibu/Miss Beverly Hills USA earlier this year.

“If anything, it’s motivating me more to compete because I am a diverse Latina woman,” Mota said. “So I want to make sure that we as Latinos are here, we’re hardworking and if we’re passionate, we can accomplish so much more.”

Many Miss California USA contestants including Duvalsaint believe the pageant could be more diverse.

“I think that when it comes to state title holders, they’re predominantly Caucasian titleholders,” Duvalsint said. “When it comes to Miss Universe, if we look at history, it’s been mostly Latin American women who have won with the exception here and there of some African American women or some Caucasian women.”

The last African-American Miss USA winner was Nana Meriwether in 2012. Meriwether had competed five years in state pageants before going on to compete in Miss USA where she placed first-runner-up. She assumed the title when the Miss USA Olivia Culpo won Miss Universe that year.

Duvalsaint looks to Meriwether for inspiration. Meriwether was a college volleyball player and  competed four times in Miss California USA before moving and winning the title of Miss Maryland USA.

“Winning Miss California, I would die because I would never think I would make it that far as an African-American athletic woman,” Duvalsaint said.

Miss Corona Del Mar Nadia Mejia is half- Ecuadorean and half-Lebanese. Mejia said she embraces her culture and wants to change the status-quo.

 “If I were to win Miss USA, then I could go on to Miss Universe, but everyone would be expecting a Caucasian girl,” Mejia said. “I come from so much and I think that’s the beauty of the United States is that it’s so diverse.”

  To some people looking in, a beauty pageant can seem like a very superficial and outdated contest for pretentious young women to strut their stuff in a bikini. But it’s a lot more than just winning a crown.

 It’s about changing the face beauty pageants.

“I want to win and I feel like it would be different, it would be nice to see someone different than what is expected win a beauty pageant such as Miss California USA,” Duvalsaint said. 

Reach Contributor Ivana Nguyen here.