Beyond the Bubble
Exclusive Interview with Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008!
By Windsor Hanger
March 2009
All photographs taken from www.kirstenhaglund.org and www.modelvolume.com
This month we were fortunate enough to do an interview with Kirsten Haglund, Miss America 2008! Kirsten graciously told us about her favorite foods, her platform issues, and her plan for the future. She also gave us some hair and makeup tips!
Tell us a little bit about yourself, where you grew up, family, etc...
I'm an old soul at 20 years old…grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan, with an older, intensely theatrical brother Lars, and 4 cats. My loves since childhood include anything involving music and the arts, having been classically trained in ballet, voice, and acting from the age of 5-years-old. I love music, I love to read, write, and be outdoors... And never dreamed I would ever win a 'pageant.' EVER.
Did you dream of becoming Miss America when you were a little girl?
No no no! I watched Miss America quite often with my family, but it was never in my plan. I decided to compete on a whim at my local level, in the Miss Oakland County pageant when I was 17 and graduating high school. I simply entered to get a few dollars in scholarship to attend the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), wore my prom dress as my evening gown, and my talent costume was $15 at Salvation Army. Despite my expectations, I won…. Less than a year later at 18 won Miss Michigan, and 6 months later found my life completely turned upside down with the Miss America crown on my confused, but grateful, head.
What is your favorite food?
Dark chocolate. No brainer. Sugar AND cancer-fighting antioxidants???? Duh!
What is your favorite color? Why?
Green. It's calming and beautiful in any shade, and reminds me of nature, life, growth. I love it.
What is your favorite song/artist?
Right now I LOVE "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. A lesser known, beautiful piece is “I Run” by Rosie Thomas.
What is your favorite book?
Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
What are your hobbies/what do you do when you're not busy being Miss America?
I read or stick my iPod in my ears and zone out. It's the only way for me to escape. If I'm somewhere warm, I get outdoors, take a hike or a run.
What's your favorite way to work out?
Pilates and yoga. Yoga on the beach or out on the trail is AMAZING.
What are some of your favorite tunes to work out to?
Some days it's Britney's new CD, while another day it may be Rachmaninoff. Depends on my mood.
Do you have any great skin/nail/hair care tips that you could share with us?
Don't get fake nails!!! In this economy, it's better to save your money and learn how to take care of your own nails. I did and it's the best choice I ever made. Skin? Drink TONS of water. Hair? Invest in salon quality shampoo and conditioner, if nothing else. Otherwise, you're washing your hair with the harsh equivalent of dishwashing liquid.
What's your favorite makeup trick?
Diorshow mascara. The absolute BEST. And white eyeshadow in the corner of your eye and/or along the bottom lid makes you looks bright eyed, bushy-tailed, and awake!
What was your favorite part about being Miss America?
Being able to be outspoken about eating disorders, especially in the fashion and beauty industry, every day. The opportunity to positively impact somebody's life every single day.
What was your least favorite part about being Miss America?
Only being worth a picture if I was wearing a crown.
Tell us a little bit about your platform.
I chose to help raise awareness of eating disorders as my platform because I saw a need, having struggled with Anorexia personally for several years. I saw what an incredible opportunity it was to seek to create open dialogue about eating disorders in entertainment media, the fashion and beauty industry, as well as have the access to many young women who look to Miss America as a role model. It has been an amazing year helping to encourage young women and be outspoken about the fact that these are serious, deadly illnesses, not glamorous, and we as women have to right and the responsibility to define beauty on our own terms, love and respect ourselves and our bodies first and foremost.
For those non-"pageanty" readers out there, can you tell us what a platform issue is?
A platform is an issue of social relevance that each contestant that competes at the local, state and national level must choose to advocate for during her year of service, should she win the crown. My "platform" however is not a year's worth of work though. It is a life-long mission.
Tell us about the decision to cut your hair soon after your crowning! (We LOVE it by the way!)
Thank you! I just got sick of spending two hours drying, curling and spraying my hair to perfection EVERY morning on the road…. So I chopped it, mostly for convenience sake. Plus, I was always curious what I would look like with a bob.
What's your plan now? Where to next?
I've moved to Los Angeles to pursue my acting career. It's what I was studying in school, and it feels so good to be creative again. I've also started The Kirsten Haglund Foundation (www.kirstenhaglund.org) to continue to raise awareness for and provide scholarship assistance for the treatment of eating disorders. I'm also continuing to travel and speak all over the country to organizations and universities about eating disorders and women's health issues.
Anything else you'd like to share?
Be empowered! Go online and check out www.kirstenhaglund.org, consider donating, even if it's just a dollar, so that people seeking treatment for this deadly illness will no longer go ignored by health insurance companies. Stand up, think and speak positively about your body and others'. It can heal hearts, improve health, and change the world.
