THE NEWS CHICK BLOG

Miss Washington on poverty, gay marriage and Toddlers & Tiaras

Jan 31, 2012, 5:39 PM | Updated: Feb 1, 2012, 10:24 am

What is it like to be on a national stage, competing against other gorgeous women, hoping your talent and beauty will stand out, then suddenly hearing the dream is over?

Listen to this report

MissWaMiss Washington, Brittney Henry, was not picked as a semi-finalist in the Miss America pageant. Miss Wisconsin, Laura Kaeppeler, won the crown.

I sat down with Henry to talk about everything from pageant tears and poverty to same-sex marriage and the reality show “Toddlers & Tiaras.”

The high-energy scene in Las Vegas a few weeks ago began, as is the tradition, with contestants introducing themselves.

“From the state that brought you Starbucks, you’re welcome, I’m Brittney Henry, Miss Washington.”

With her long blonde hair, perfect body, and sparkling smile, Brittney stood with equally stunning young women from every other state wondering, will I be a finalist?

“It’s so nerve-racking. Your stomach is in a knot just waiting and it’s on live TV so that heightens all the emotions,” she says.

When Brittney’s name was not called, she was “numb.”

“I was sad, but I still had a big smile on my face,” says Henry. “I was able to accept it, but there were a lot of girls up there with me who were crying and I was able to say to them ‘hold it together, we’re on national TV.'”

Holding it together has become Henry’s specialty. It’s something she learned growing up poor in Pierce County. She was raised in Edgewood, which was an affluent area, but her family didn’t have any money. She saw other kids around her had nice clothing. She did not. When they talked about expensive things they were going to do or buy, she just listened and “learned how to hide” her financial situation.

By high school, she had become an expert at blending in. She was quiet and never spoke up for herself, even when her friends in class discussed the “leeches on the welfare system,” not knowing Henry was “only able to survive” because of food stamps.

That wasn’t all she was hiding. She was failing classes too. She took algebra three times.

“In one instance I failed because there was a domestic violence issue happening in my house the night before the final,” says Henry. “I held my baby sister in the closet while we called 9-1-1. I didn’t sleep at all that night, I showed up to school the next day, tried to act normal, and failed the test.”

There are 40,000 Brittney Henrys in Washington today. 40,000 children living in poverty in our state. Even though she didn’t become Miss America, she will continue talking to teachers about the impact being poor has on a student’s ability to learn. She also talks to students, telling them they don’t have to live in shame, with a lack of confidence, like she did.

Henry has a bright future, and has already inspired her mother to complete a nursing degree. Her baby sister is now a teenager and she has another sister who’s a teacher in West Seattle. Henry’s father died of a crystal meth drug overdose two years ago.

“I never dreamed of big things for my life or becoming anything special,” she says.

Although Brittney didn’t make it to the final round on the Miss America pageant, when a judge asks a controversial question that forces the young women to think on their feet, I decided to put her on the spot.

The Washington State Legislature is expected to pass a bill allowing same-sex couples to legally marry. Do you support the law?

“I’m pro-equality and equal opportunity for all people. I believe that marriage is one of those issues that should be a legal right granted to all citizens regardless of their sexual orientation,” she responds.

Now, a pop culture question. The TV reality show “Toddlers & Tiaras” follows the world of child beauty pageants, showing how moms and dads prepare girls for glitz competitions. In order to compete the girls, some as young as a few months old, wear expensive dresses, wigs, false teeth called flippers, and spray tans. What do you think of these pageants?

“I think it’s really sad. I would never put my children in a situation like that,” Henry says. “Toddlers and Tiaras is way over the top and I think those pageants can really effect the girls’ body image and self-esteem in a negative way.”

MissWaTalent

Brittney Henry played the Celtic fiddle in the recent Miss America competition and had the highest talent score for a non-finalist, which earned her a scholarship from the Miss America organization.

The News Chick Blog

The wife of Seattle attorney Danford Grant moved his car away from one of the alleged crime scenes ...

No Author

Equal justice for Seattle lawyer accused of several rapes?

Has accused serial rapist Danford Grant gotten preferential treatment because both he and his wife are Seattle attorneys?

12 years ago

The Seattle-based I Can Has Cheezburger network now includes 60 humor sites. Many of their 90 emplo...

No Author

Seattle humor network, built with funny cat pictures, becomes a reality TV show

A small Internet empire with a funny name has billions of page views on its network of 60 humor websites based in Seattle. Now, I Can Has Cheezburger has a reality TV show too.

12 years ago

President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney spent a combined $30.33 every second this election cycle. Wa...

No Author

Democracy and dollar signs – 2012 campaign spending

Washington initiative campaigns spent $34 million trying to win your vote, while President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney spent a combined $30.33 every second this election cycle.

12 years ago

Chef Tom Douglas says Seattle’s restaurants are ‘a little homemade’ compared with...

No Author

Chef Tom Douglas says ‘Seattle is a funny restaurant town’

Chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas, with 13 Seattle restaurants and more on the way, says Seattle is a "funny restaurant town."

12 years ago

Investigation continues into why a commander of the Bremerton-based Stennis carrier group was remov...

No Author

New ‘crazy’ conspiracy theory on Stennis Rear Admiral

The Pentagon shoots down theories about why the commander of the USS Stennis Carrier Group was removed from duty and sent back to the homeport in Bremerton.

12 years ago

Seattle photographer Paul Souders captures an adult polar bear up close in Hudson Bay in Churchill,...

No Author

Seattle photographer comes face to face with a polar bear

A wildlife photographer, who lives in Ballard, has taken thousands of stunning shots. None put him on "a razor's edge" more than a series of photos swimming with a polar bear.

12 years ago

Miss Washington on poverty, gay marriage and Toddlers & Tiaras