Newly Crowned Miss America Goes On Defense After Her Talent Gets Bashed On Social Media

Source: Ass. Press

America got a new Miss America Sunday night, but it hasn’t been completely “Happy” for Miss New York’s Kira Kazantsev, who has faced an onslaught of criticism following the talent performance which helped land her the crown. The beaming blonde sat cross-legged on the stage and sang Pharrell’s hit song “Happy,” while rhythmically beating and flipping a red cup in time with the music.

The Associated Press reports that her performance immediately set off a “furor” from social network users, who were displeased that this was the talent of the eventual winner: Kazantsev told the AP she was inspired by the movie “Pitch Perfect” when developing her talent. In the movie, Anna Kendrick’s character auditions for an a capella group by doing the same routine with a cup while singing “When I’m Gone.” She said she also wanted to inspire others to do what they enjoy doing, and not worry what others think. AP reports:

“The reason why I chose to do that talent is I wanted every single little girl in America to be able to see that you can do that talent – you can do whatever talent you want on national television – even with a red cup – and still be Miss America and have the time of your life.”

“I literally in that minute and 30 seconds had the most fun I’ve ever had. And that’s because I stayed true to myself and I did what I wanted to do for my talent, no matter what everybody else told me, and it paid off. I’m very happy about it.” While some may not feel her performance was crown-worthy, Kazantsev’s talent was not the only reason she was named Miss America. Many who criticized the judges’ decision seemed to miss the fact that the 23-year-old triple majored in Political Science, Global Studies and Geography, and she has already been accepted into law school.

Her official platform is preventing domestic violence, which she was inspired to pursue after going through an abusive relationship in college. Plus, she’s fluent in three languages: English, Russian and Spanish. After looking at the big picture, the fact that she was crowned Miss America makes sense.