TED

I have lived my life as a completely ordinary kid. I use social media to procrastinate on doing my homework, I go to high school football games, and I eat way too much frozen yogurt.

Unlike other 17-year-old kids though, I have had the privilege of being a beauty queen. More specifically, a rodeo queen. I use the word “privileged” reluctantly when I say this, of course. I grew up dreaming about being a rodeo queen. The extravagant dresses and outfits, the gorgeous hair and makeup, the opportunity to gallop by the crowd at full speed, waving as I run by. What I didn’t know was that this world I so desperately wanted to be a part of was doing the opposite of what I live my life trying to do. It wasn’t empowering young women with a passion for the sport, it was degrading those that didn’t fit the standard of beauty that was "required" for the job.