Beauty Pageants & Mental Health | Miss Missouri USA 2023 Autumn Black

What do you think of when you hear, beauty pageant?
Maybe you think of dolled up women in swimsuits & dresses on stage, or shallow women that just want “World Peace”, or even the old TLC show Toddlers and Tiaras. Whatever your initial thoughts are, I promise you our guest cohost @missmousa will completely transform the way you look at beauty pageants moving forward. I competed with Autumn in Miss Missouri USA not only in 2019 but also in 2023 when she was crowned. Hearing the story about her journey and how she grew not only as a person but in this sport is inspiring.
If you have ever really wanted to get a deep dive into why so many women put their heart and soul into pageants like Miss USA, Miss America, and various other systems this is definitely worth the listen. We sit down with the current Miss Missouri to see how she started in pageantry, all the way to how she was preparing for Miss USA 2023. Autumn touches on the how the mental strength in her preparation was remarkable more difficult to navigate than the physical side. Along with the things she did to really focus on the dream she set out to achieve.
Pageantry not only can help you build self-esteem and teach you about self love, but it can teach you life skills that you can use the rest of your life. But with all the positive that comes from this people on the outside neglect to see the downside of this. Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, along with other mental illnesses can really pay a toll on the girls/women that compete. In a world where you feel that you always have to be polished and always at your best, it can be hard to handle after a while. It is not until we lose extraordinary women like Cheslie Kryst or Kailia Posey, that we start taking this conversation more seriously.
I cannot thank Miss Missouri USA 2023 Autumn Black enough for getting on Mental Mixology to really get this conversation going. Missouri is SO lucky to have such an intelligent, beautiful, and inspiring woman to represent the state for the year of 2023.