Miss Indiana may not have made the judges’ cut in Sunday’s Miss USA 2014 competition, but her stunning appearance in the bikini parade may have earned her a social media crown.
When Mekayla Diehl took the stage, fans watching the competition flocked to Twitter with compliments about her “normal” bikini bod.
The 25-year-old beauty queen didn’t make it out of the semifinals and into the Top 10 in the competition. That didn’t stop viewers from cheering her on, though.
Several admirers applauded her for "looking like an average woman" and not being "crazy skinny."
But Diehl encouraged her followers not to focus on being "normal."
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“’Normal’ is just an opinion,” Diehl tweeted Monday. “I admire anyone who lives a healthy lifestyle. Just be confident in your own skin is all I ask.”
U.S. & World
Diehl said she’s just hoping to be an inspiration to women.
“That’s all I want in the end,” she tweeted.
Viewers praise @RealMissINUSA for her "healthy look"! #healthybodies pic.twitter.com/zMaJabZ7qe — Raquelakg (@Raquelakg) June 9, 2014
I love how Miss Indiana isn't crazy skinny — Katie Plowman (@kaiteplowman) June 9, 2014
Dear #MissIndiana thank you for looking like an average woman. #SwimsuitCompetition — Stephanie Watson (@stephwatson_91) June 9, 2014
@RealMissINUSA is an inspiration to all women. — Phil Harwood (@philharwood) June 10, 2014
I really wanted Miss Indiana to make it to the top 10. She was the only girl up there who had a relatively normal body. #MissUSA2014 — Abby Snyder (@NotTooShabby12) June 9, 2014