A Filipino-American beauty broke barriers when she competed in the Miss Connecticut USA 2021 beauty pageant with a shaved head due to alopecia.
On Instagram, Renee Reyes said she did not win the crown, but she felt honored winning a special award in the competition.
"I didn’t take home the crown this year, but I’m not coming home empty-handed! I feel so honored to receive the Miss Connecticut USA 2021 award recognizing my efforts in community service. My trophy even matched my dress!" wrote Reyes on Instagram on June 7.
Reyes also said that this won't be the last time she will join beauty pageants. During the preliminaries, she also wore an evening gown by Filipino designer Benj Leguiab IV.
"This was my first time competing in Miss Connecticut USA, and it won’t be my last. I am truly blessed and grateful for the opportunity to share my story and show that us alopecians can be #confidentlybeautiful," she added.
Reyes added: "I am feeling on top of the world and totally elated. I have lots of work to do this summer with my newly established nonprofit, and I can’t wait to get started! Like always, I will keep pushing forward. I’ll see you all next year, and will come back an even stronger candidate!"
"I walk away from this weekend feeling so inspired by all the badass women who shared this experience with me. I’m really not exaggerating when I say so many of the ladies competing with me this weekend were the smartest, most driven people I’ve ever met who are all agents of change in their own right. I literally felt like I was at a conference for “most impactful women," she said.
Reyes said that she has been suffering from alopecia or hair loss. She also claimed that she has been kidnapped, drugged, and sexually abused in the past.