Redefining what it means to be queen
Whitney Kropp knew her classmates were playing a mean prank when they elected her as homecoming queen, but she decided to take a stand against her bullies and proudly accept her crown.
Since its creation in the 1920s, the homecoming queen has typically been associated with blonde curls, tulle and sparkles -- until today.
Though there are a multitude of definitions for homecoming queen, Urban Dictionary describes the term as a female student who must be universally liked and well-rounded because the whole school elects her.
Recently, girls such as Courtney Pearson, Allyssa Brubeck and Whitney Kropp have dispelled the blonde-curls-and-sparkles homecoming queen stereotype while making statements of their own.
Pearson, 21, recently won the race to the crown at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), where she is the first African American to be deemed queen. She considers her victory to be a representation of how far the university has come since its integration 50 years ago.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Pearson told Ole Miss News. “Ole Miss, get ready. We just changed the face.”
Her decision to campaign for the title was inspired by fellow classmate Christin Gates’ unsuccessful run two years ago and the memory of an unpleasant conversation.
“As a child, I had a conversation with the son of a family friend,” Pearson said. “We sat and looked through a magazine one day and the front cover had a bigger, African-American young lady on the cover who had been announced as homecoming queen at some university. The young man did not find this young lady very attractive and he asked how in the world is she homecoming queen.
“As we kept reading, we found out that the homecoming queen at the particular university was chosen from the women who had the highest grade-point averages. This young man, who often had something sarcastic to say about my academic excellence, looked at me and said, ‘Maybe your grades will get you somewhere one day, because your looks sure won’t.’ That was probably [the] best motivation I could have had.”
Because of her big win, Pearson hopes her strength will inspire others.
“I hope that after Homecoming 2012 everyone gives Ole Miss the respect it deserves and that this election inspires someone else to follow their dreams,” Pearson said.
Fellow 2012 homecoming queen Whitney Kropp, 16, has inspired others as well after enduring a cruel prank and turning it into a nationally recognized stand against bullying.
The ordeal began when the teen was voted homecoming queen as a prank at her high school in Michigan. Though shocked, she decided after much deliberation to confront her fears and take the title.
"Going to homecoming to show them that I'm not a joke," she wrote on Facebook, according to USA TODAY. "I’m a beautiful person and you shouldn't mess with me!"
Kropp told USA TODAY reporters that the experience gave her an opportunity to deliver a message to others like her.
"The kids that are bullying, do not let them bring you down," she said. "Stand up for what you believe in, and go with your heart and go with your gut. That's what I did, and look at me now.”
Allyssa Burbeck, 18, has had a similar experience as the first girl with Down syndrome to be voted homecoming queen at her school in Kansas City, Mo.
“She deserved to be queen,” Sam Boiling, the runner-up told the Kansas City Star.
Boiling added that she believes that Burbeck gives the school an opportunity to have differences and accept others for who they are.
Lindsay Friedman is a Fall 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.
This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.