You can imagine the pressure that beauty pageant contestants face when answering questions from the panel. Under intense scrutiny, they must answer with poise and elegance at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately for Miss Utah, poise and elegance seemed a little too far off in the distance when she was asked about income inequality.
During the Miss USA pageant, Marissa Powell of Utah was asked, "A recent report shows that in 40 percent of American families with children, women are the primary earners, yet they continue to earn less than men. What does this say about society?"
Powell followed with a fumbling and incoherent response. Relating something about education to the divide in income between men and women but not stating exactly what, it was clear that Powell was at a loss for words and struggling to form a thoughtful answer.
Powell's response has since gone viral, with many criticizing the incoherence of her spiel.
According to her profile on the Miss USA website, Powell is a singer, model, and actress. The Salt Lake City native has appeared on the ABC television show, "What Would You Do?" and is the ambassador for "Healing Hands for Haiti," an initiative aimed at bringing rehabilitation medicine to the country. She is a graduate of both Westminster College and Brigham Young University. She has an adopted brother - which would explain why her profile states she is an advocate for adoption - who was diagnosed with numerous medical issues, including an inoperable brain tumor.
Powell finished third in the contest. Erin Brady of Connecticut won the main title.
Powell's answer has drawn comparisons to Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA in 2007. When Upton was asked why a fifth of Americans cannot locate the United States on a world map, she gave a similarly unintelligible answer, going so far as to say "some people out there in our nation don't have maps."
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