Miss America Cassie Donegan Urges People to Consider Impact of Their Words as She Calls Out Body-Shaming on Instagram
Donegan, who is the 2026 Miss America titleholder, reposted a pointed comment on Instagram calling out body shamers.
By Tabitha Parent
PEOPLE
July 15, 2026
Miss America Cassie Donegan is speaking out against body shaming.
The pageant queen, 28, reposted a message to her Instagram Stories on July 15, urging her followers to consider the impact of their words when it comes to commenting on someone’s appearance.
“Did you ever consider, your comment about another person’s body is also hitting everyone else in the room. Everyone,” read the text on an Instagram graphic that Donegan shared to her IGS.
The message came shortly after Donegan’s appearance at the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia on July 14, where she sang “God Bless America.”
Donegan was crowned Miss America on Sept. 7, after winning the New York state title this past July. Donegan claimed a $50,000 tuition scholarship as part of her victory reward. She also took home an award for her vocal talents after the talent portion of the competition, adding another $3,000 to her tuition money prize.
While most people celebrated the pageant queen’s success, including some of her closest friends, whose emotional reactions to Donegan’s win went viral on TikTok, some were quick to nitpick her glam choices for nationals, including her makeup for the final round.
In the days after the pageant and following the fanfare, Donegan told PEOPLE that she understood that negativity often targets people with more exposed platforms like herself. However, she was adamant in adding that it doesn’t mean everyone in the public eye needs to internalize hateful words.
“Often you do have to just pick and choose what you allow yourself to digest,” she explains. “I think that’s something that’s been a really useful tool, really leaning into those who are lifting me up, loving me and holding me high, and choosing to focus on the positivity that’s happening in the moment.”
She also added that she was only human.
“I’m just a normal person. No, I don’t want to hear people ever say anything negative, especially about my appearance,” Donegan said at the time. “But I also respect that the internet is a public space and that people have the right to their opinion to be able to share that, and no one’s going to be everyone’s favorite all of the time.”
She continued, “I’m just going to do my best to love everyone and care about everyone, because at the end of the day, if even just one person has felt touched in some way or seen or loved through me as Miss America, then I’ve done my job. And that’s the most important thing.”
Read the full article here: https://people.com/cassie-