Brentwood pageant queen overcomes struggles, earns Miss Tennessee title | WLife

A Brentwood resident has been crowned USA National American Miss Tennessee, soon to vie for the national title of USA National Miss. 

Arianna Ford, 21, was crowned in February, and in July, she will represent the state of Tennessee and compete for the national title, a longtime dream of hers. But achieving her dream has not come without a background of struggles, and this pageant has given her a new platform on which she has been able to turn her passion into a purpose. 

Her journey with scoliosis started when she was only 7 years old and progressed severely through her grade-school years. As she approached her senior year of high school, Ford decided she wanted to love how she looked in pictures when she would one day reflect on her youth. 

“I was photoshopping everything,” she said about certain pictures of herself. “I wouldn’t wear tight-fitting clothes, all my clothes were really baggy, and my clothes didn’t sit properly on me to begin with because of the way that my spine was turning. I was just very miserable in myself and how I looked.” 

After a long and personal journey, she finally opted for surgery to correct her scoliosis. Ford decided that she wanted to be a representative for girls who have scoliosis or disabilities and compare themselves to models online, “that you don’t have to look like what society tell us to look like.” 

Now, Ford gets to speak with women’s groups, children’s hospitals and more to build connections and share her story. As a pageant queen, Ford uses her platform to reach more and more girls with disabilities of all kinds. She is also an ambassador for Scoli Smart to help raise money for children’s surgeries and research. 

Ford competed in her first pageant when she graduated high school and immediately fell in love. 

“I had always wanted to do pageants growing up,” she said. “Then I just kept going from there and doing pageants and falling in love with it. I’m so thankful for pageants because it has taught me so much about myself that you would never guess.”

Confidence—one of the biggest aspects she’s taken away from pageanting—is just one area of growth Ford has experienced. 

“It’s shaped my entire life and my career path,” she said. 

Ford earned her degree in Fashion Design and has built a career through Asquared Boutique and works as a personal stylist for pageant contestants. 

“I have some huge things that are happening soon with fashion, so I’m so excited for that and I owe it all to pageantry to be able to do it,” she said. 

Her role in the pageant realm? Representing the girls who feel like they don’t belong in their own spaces, their own stage, their own society. 

“I believe beauty is not a rule book and that every woman and every person is created beautifully and is beautiful in their own way,” she said. “You might be facing something that doesn’t stand by what society tells us is beautiful. You are still so gorgeous and so beautiful going through life.” 

To learn more about the USA National Miss pageant, visit www.USANationalMiss.com. Find Ford on Instagram @OfficialAriannaFord.