Miss Nevada USA Mary Sickler made a powerful statement during the Miss USA on Wednesday by removing her wig onstage and revealing her alopecia universalis diagnosis.
During a preliminary round, the 22-year-old contestant walked the stage in Reno, Nev., wearing a silver bejeweled head piece and matching gown with ornate beading and a train.
Her walk received applause as she stood beside Miss New Hampshire Mona Lesa Brackett, who competed in a hijab.
“I lost all my hair, and I definitely didn’t think that I would be walking on the Miss USA stage without any hair, but I am,” Sickler told People in September.
“It took me a long time to finally be able to see myself as beautiful, and I think that’s the first step. If you see yourself as beautiful and you own it, then other people will too.”
Sickler began losing her hair in patches last December and was later diagnosed with alopecia universalis, a condition that causes complete hair loss.
At the time, she was working as a model– with her last major shoot being for Louis Vuitton– but withdrew from the industry out of fear that her condition would end her career.
“I remember coming home and looking in the mirror. My hair was gone, my lashes were gone, and I couldn’t recognize myself,” she recalled.
After stepping away from modeling, Sickler returned to pageantry, placing first runner-up at Miss Texas USA before winning the Miss Nevada USA crown in July.
She then publicly revealed her condition just weeks before Miss USA, becoming the first woman with alopecia to represent Nevada at the national pageant.
The Miss USA 2025 finals will be held Friday, October 24.