The internet can be a grueling place, especially when it comes to beauty.
Arianna Quan – also known as Miss Michigan – learned this the hard way when trolls online started calling her "ugly" for being an Asian-American Miss America contestant.
How?! Why?! Are they seeing the same woman I see?
Quan is a GODDESS.
According to Cosmopolitan, the 23-year-old diva was born in Beijing, and became a naturalized American citizen at 14 years old after she moved to Detroit at the young age of 6.
Ever since she took home the medal for Miss Michigan in June, Quan's been criticized in both America and China, by people who think she's "unfit to represent the Chinese population" because she's "ugly."
WTF?
Although the 23-year-old was at first hurt by the comments, she quickly overcame the shamers by rising above the insults.
Instead of taking the rude comments to heart, she started focusing more on her platform for the upcoming pageant. Her issue is "Being American: Immigration and Citizenship Education."
In an interview with People, she talked about how she plans on taking the negativity she's been plagued with and turning it into good:
My goal is to just drive the conversation in an important direction, because there are so many things we have to discuss about immigration and diversity in this country right now.
We admire your optimism, Quan. Never let the haters bring you down, and kick ass on Sunday at the Miss America pageant.
