By Movieguide
October 15, 2026
Miss America 2027 Regan Hutsell brought a message rooted in Psalm 139 to young women struggling to feel at home in their bodies.
“You truly have been perfectly crafted and created so beautifully, so intricately, so wonderfully,” she told Liberty University earlier this month.
For Hutsell, that encouragement comes from personal experience with an eating disorder, not just a pageant platform. She urged people to spend time considering Psalm 139:14 and its description of being fearfully and wonderfully made.
“I had clinical help, I went to a psychologist and worked with a dietitian,” she explained. Hutsell said the tools she gained helped her reach a place of security and now inform what she shares with others.
A coach helped her think differently about her body, reminding the dancer that it was her home before it was her instrument.
That account includes professional care alongside her faith. The National Institute of Mental Health describes eating disorders as serious illnesses that are not a choice and can be treated successfully; it encourages people with concerns to speak with a primary care provider. Families can support a loved one by helping them seek care and encouraging them through treatment.
Hutsell’s national platform arrived Sept. 6, when she won the Miss America 2027 title in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Houston native, who was 25 at the competition, became the 99th woman to hold the crown and the fourth winner from Texas.
The Miss America Organization’s Sept. 7 announcement also recognized her as the first woman of color to win while wearing her natural hair. Before pageantry, she began her professional dance career at 18 as a Radio City Rockette and later performed with the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Today, Hutsell studies health sciences through Liberty’s online programs and hopes to become a physical therapist. She told the university that her own experience in physical therapy showed her how much a supportive recovery team can change someone’s outlook.
Her advocacy started before the national win. In a Sept. 4 interview with Texas Lifestyle Magazine, while she was still competing as Miss Texas, Hutsell said her struggles with body image began at 8 and described her desire to help others find a balance of happiness and health.
“When I think about service, it has given me the confidence and courage to use my voice as an advocate for people truly finding home within themselves,” she explained. Her initiative, Your Body Is Your Home, gives that goal a name.
Hutsell’s family helped her prepare for the competition, too. Her father called each night to practice interview questions, her mother played music while she rehearsed, and her sisters helped coach her dancing and prayed over her.
“Know that you have something truly unique to offer the world and don’t let anybody hold you back from achieving your dreams,” she said, offering her advice to other women facing challenges or pursuing success.
“I look forward to encouraging individuals of all generations to walk boldly in their purpose, pursue their wildest dreams, and never give up on themselves,” Hutsell said of using her Miss America platform.
Her story is a reminder that God gave us our bodies as a gift, not something to fight against.
Read the article here: https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/psalm-139-helped-miss-america-winner-heal-from-eating-disorder.html