Overview
- Mary Sickler took off her wig during the Oct. 22 preliminary in Reno, wearing a bejeweled head covering with her evening gown to sustained applause.
- She stood alongside Miss New Hampshire Mona Lesa Brackett, who competed in a hijab, in a moment widely praised on social media for its inclusivity.
- Sickler is the first woman with a public alopecia diagnosis to hold the Miss Nevada USA title and to compete at Miss USA.
- She began losing hair in December 2024, later identified as alopecia universalis, and publicly shared her diagnosis about a month before nationals through social media videos.
- After stepping back from modeling and losing a contract, she returned to pageantry, placing first runner-up at Miss Texas USA in May and winning Miss Nevada USA in July; the Miss USA final is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24.