Here is a piece of the article written in The Phoenix Society -
The healing, self-love, and self-acceptance has been a long journey; but I can with 100% honesty say I love the skin I’m in!"
PHOENIX: AS A CHILDHOOD SURVIVOR, WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE GROWING UP?
Danette: As a young girl, and for many, many years after, the hardest part was finding my beauty again. Before my injury, I loved myself and wanted to someday be Miss America. After my injury, that dream was shattered and I never thought I would ever be beautiful again. Everything I saw on tv, in the movies confirmed that because of my scars, I was no longer beautiful in any way. After all, it was always the bad guys, the monsters, and evil characters that had the scars – NEVER the beauty queens. I struggled incessantly to redefine beauty so I could somehow love my reflection again so I could somehow stop feeling ugly, embarrassed, and shameful.
It was a constant inner battle that through faith – in God first and foremost, and from that growing faith I learned slowly to also believe in myself. The shame and embarrassment of looking so different were replaced with the knowledge that I am priceless. After a couple of decades, I started seeing my many scars as God’s masterpiece of art that was created when I walked through fire as a child. The courage and strength that my scars represent make that artwork priceless. And out of that powerful, positive life perspective grew self-love and immense pride for all that I’ve endured as a burn survivor.
PHOENIX: WHAT LED YOU TO COMPETE IN PAGEANTS SO MANY YEARS LATER?
Danette: This is my third year competing and I’ve worked so hard and learned so much about this amazing pageant system to compete strong. The first year (2019) I didn’t place. In 2020, I was a semi-finalist in the top 12. And this year 2021, I won the crown! I had help with pageant coaching and worked hard preparing for interviews, especially the stage competition in swimsuit and gown with my many-body scars.
I first had the spiritual push to compete in early 2018 and kept denying that thought because I believed the pageant world wouldn’t see my beauty. As a public speaker I was sharing my FLAWLESS program and telling women I see myself the way God sees me.
Then I had a vision of me and 30 other women on stage in our gowns. When I looked around I didn’t see myself as the ‘scarred lady in the middle.’ As I looked around I saw their scars too. I saw their life battles, their insecurities, their pain, and their triumphs. Seeing their scars made me feel included because we ALL have scars. And that’s when I decided to overcome my fear and enter this competition of beauty. The journey has been powerful and rewarding in so many ways! Faith over fear because I know I am always enough!
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Congratulations Mrs. Colorado 2021 - Danette Haag!