Abbey Curran - "You Know You Can Do It."

In a recent Miss USA pageant, one contestant made an impact far outlasting the final curtain. She stood up for what she believed in and didn't give in to societal norms about how she should behave. She just put herself out there just as she was, staying true to the values she was raised with, and left her fate in God's hands. In the end, she didn't win, but she went back to her state with her head held high, with thousands of new fans from across the country, and with national media outlets actively working to get her to come on their show and tell her story.

The year was 2008, not 2009. And I'm not talking about Ms. California.

Abbey Curran was named Ms. Iowa 2008 and got the chance to compete in the 2008 Miss USA pageant. One thing made her different than the other contestants; different, really, than any other contestant in the history of the pageant: Ms. Curran had a disability. Specifically, she has cerebral palsy, a condition that affects her ability to walk without assistance.

As a little girl, it was always her dream to compete in beauty pageants. She would dress up in formal gowns and parade around the house as if she were Ms. America. She always made her family - who lived and worked on a farm in Iowa - sit and watch the nationally televised pageants with her.

She got a very positive outlook on life from her parents, who were always encouraging her to try and not let her disability stop her from pursuing her dreams.

Her mom says she always told Curran "she can do whatever she set her mind to. You know you can do it. You can do whatever. You just have to try. Might have to try harder than somebody else, but you can do whatever you want."

About 6 years ago, Abbey started establishing beauty contests for children with disabilities, known as Miss You Can Do It Pageants. The pageant is to be held on Saturday, July 25th in Kewanee, Illinois. The pageants are for girls with special needs aged 5-25, and the pageant is divided into four categories, broken down by age.

Here's where it gets a little interesting, though.

Each girl will compete by age group in private interview, casual wear, evening gown, and on-stage question.

And on-stage question of a 5-year old? I have a six-year old son right now, and I can't imagine asking him anything on stage, other than, "Which is better - SpongeBob or Pepperoni Pizza? And why?" Still, though, it sounds like a great idea to me.

After she competed for Miss USA, she was profiled by CBS News, People Magazine, Access Hollywood and was a guest on the Ellen Degeneres Show. She is currently back to her studies at St. Ambrose University in Davenport.

I think it is great that she is decided to compete in pageants. I think it is even better that she decided to compete in the Miss USA pageant which is historically a pageant based almost exclusively on beauty. (I know, no spinster has ever been named Ms. America because she pounded out a mean marimba, but at least they attempt to showcase something other than beauty).

The Miss USA pageant has very, very minimal non-beauty categories, such as the on-stage interview, made famous by Ms. Prejean. Ms. Curran, a woman with cerebral palsy, was a worthy competitor for Miss USA for one very good reason:

She's gorgeous. Period.

And judging by the historic view that society has toward people with disabilities, that is indeed a very good thing.