Did you watch “Toddlers and Tiaras” on TLC? I’m ashamed to admit that I did. But in my defense, it was just to have a good laugh. I couldn’t believe parents would let complete strangers judge the “beauty” of their children! And the lengths parents would go to to have them score well: Fake hair. Fake teeth. Fake tans. So much for natural beauty!

I bet pageants like Miss America (I’m proud to say that I don’t watch them) are much worse. You need to be stick thin, have perfect skin, perfect makeup, hair, and nails. Then comes the talent competition. Singing. Dancing. Playing an instrument. It has been done.

However, I saw something from this last Miss America competition. It was so refreshing to hear a contestant—Miss Colorado, a nurse—using the talent portion to talk about treating one of her Alzheimer’s patients. Although extremely pretty, this woman proved that using your brain is a talent in itself.

“…and all was well with the world.”