ST. GEORGE — Southern Utah was well represented among the women attending the All American Girl Pageant in Las Vegas recently.
All American Girl co-founder Lisa Franchini told St. George News that 85 women and girls from many states across America competed in eight different age divisions at the organization’s national competition on July 9.
After competitions in several categories and judging were complete, Lindsay Weiland, 22, from St. George was crowned Miss National All American Girl.
Kaytley Huntsman, 18, of Hurricane, reigned as the night’s Miss National All American Girl Teen. The crown for National Miss All American Girl Junior went to Allison Johnson, 13, of Washington City.
Franchini said All American Girl is unlike many conventional beauty pageants. She prefers the term development program.
“We are a family-friendly youth development program for young women,” she said. “We take pride when our girls become successful in college. They learn to be more confident in speech and are better when facing social anxieties.”
Although she dislikes the term, the pageant has many features one would expect, such as natural beauty, poise, public speaking and personality, allowing participants up to the age of 26 the opportunity to compete equally, Franchini said.
“We actually don’t like the term pageant, because most people have a misconception about them,” she said. “This is much more than a beauty contest. Some of our winners have gone on to compete at Miss USA.”
Weiland said she is working toward becoming a coach since winning Miss National All American Girl.
“The girls aren’t just my friends, they are my family,” she told St. George News. “You can definitely feel the love when you compete and hear the other girls cheering you from the crowd.”
As the new National All American Girl Teen Miss, Huntsman said she and other winners will be traveling around the country coaching other young women to be confident.
“It was a lot of fun meeting new people and getting to travel,” she said. “It is an amazing experience.”
Hope Johnson said her daughter attends Vista School in Ivins due to her love for dancing and singing.
“My favorite part of the program is watching all the girls grow and blossom into confident young ladies who support one another,” she said. “I love the sisterhood that comes with the girls and the moms as we all support each other through wins and losses.”
National Miss All American Girl Junior’s Allison Johnson said, as an eighth-grader, she likes that the pageant gives her a place to spread her message of love.
“I love that it gives me the opportunity to promote my platform — fighting the invisible — where I hope to show everyone that what makes us different is what makes us unique,” Johnson said. “And that it’s OK to be who you are.”
According to the organization’s website, by learning to be more social, the participants often go back to the places they were raised and share their skills with others. The next pageants will be at the state level in May 2024, with nationals being held in July 2024. For more information, visit the All American Girl website.
“One of the most important parts of the All American Girl Pageant is our commitment to community service,” the development program handbook states. “American Girl is committed to teaching our youth to give back to their communities by volunteering their time and talents to charitable organizations.”
Photo Gallery
Allison Johnson, 13, from Washington City, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Lindsay Weiland, St. George News The crown for National All American Girl Jr Teen Miss went to Allison Johnson, 13, from Washington City, at the pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Lindsay Weiland, St. George News Kaytley Huntsman, 18, from Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Lindsay Weiland, St. George News Kaytley Huntsman, 18, from Hurricane reigned as the night’s National All American Girl Teen Miss in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Lindsay Weiland, St. George News Lindsay Weiland, 22, from St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Lindsay Weiland, St. George News Lindsay Weiland, 22, from St. George was crowned National All American Girl Miss in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 9, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Lindsay Weiland, St. George News
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