Sara Miliken: the power of self-confidence at the forefront of the fight against internet taunts

8. 06. 2024 | Natalie Bezděková

Sara Miliken, the twenty-three-year-old winner of the National American Miss pageant and the new Miss Alabama, experienced conflicted feelings when she became the target of Internet taunts and insults because of her appearance. Although she feels affected, she doesn’t deny that words have the power to affect people, even if they are only written online. This phenomenon has not only surprised but also hurt her.

“Even something you write through a screen can have a lasting impact on people,” Miliken said. “Even if I’m not at that stage, it can lead to people doing some really nasty things to themselves.” These words reveal a deep awareness of the power of words and their impact on human emotions, even in the digital world.

Some of the less kind comments that struck Sara include, “I thought it was a beauty pageant,” or “Is this really perceived as attractive in Alabama?” Others then compared her to the “queen” of fast food chains, which was no doubt humiliating and hurtful.

However, among the dark shadows of Internet anonymity, there were many bright rays of support. Sara was comforted with words like, “If you knew her, you would love her. This lady has a heart of gold and will lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it.” This support gave her strength and encouragement.

Sara Miliken will now head to the national finals with a determination to spread positive self-esteem and appreciate inner beauty. The competition organisers stress that looks, weight and other physical attributes are not the only measure of beauty and that the competition is all about personality, confidence and communication. In doing so, they want to celebrate the uniqueness of each individual.

Photo source: www.pexels.com

Author of this article

Natalie Bezděková

I am a student of Master's degree in Political Science. I am interested in marketing, especially copywriting and social media. I also focus on political and social events at home and abroad and technological innovations. My free time is filled with sports, reading and a passion for travel.

WAS THIS ARTICLE HELPFUL?

Support us to keep up the good work and to provide you even better content. Your donations will be used to help students get access to quality content for free and pay our contributors’ salaries, who work hard to create this website content! Thank you for all your support!

Write a comment