YOUR LOOK bodysculpting By Dr. Harvey Jenkins Secrets of a 5’2” Goddess Betty Thompson, first runner-up to Miss America, displays what it takes to be a true fitness competitor ome of the best accomplishments in life begin with a dream. I remember the first time I saw her. It was at an outside baggage check-in at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City about three years ago. I remember thinking to myself: “What an excep- tionally beautiful young woman.” I asked the manager of my shop, BodyTrends, who was traveling with me if she knew who that young woman was. Neither of us knew. She handed her bags to the attendant and flashed a polite smile, one that lit up the spaces around her. That may have been the clue that she was destined for something special. Regarding her smile, it is one of the most perfect smiles I have ever seen. And with the level of charisma and beauty she projected, even without speaking, we assumed she must be one of the former Miss Oklahomas trav- eling to Miss America. Well, she wasn’t. I was able to determine that her name was Betty Thompson, and she was a local pageant titleholder in Okla- homa. I remember thinking, “That’s her. There she is... that woman will be Miss America one day.” Over the next 2 years, my staff and I got to learn more about this wonderful young woman from Davenport, Oklahoma, whose platform was about the benefits of drinking milk. When we learned about her platform, we were confused. Many of the previ- ous Miss Oklahomas have majestic platforms, like character devel- opment and service learning, with which the titleholders live and embody the message. It’s hard to do that with milk. Or is it? It has been said that if you spend 5 minutes with Betty she will make you believe that all of your problems in life come from not drinking enough milk. Betty’s commitment to fitness and a healthy life-style is the embodiment of her platform, which has its origin in her being the daughter of a Jersey Cow Farmer. For two years at the Miss Oklahoma pageant, my staff and I got S 46 PAGEANTRY to see Betty in the “Winner’s Circle”, one of the last two people standing on stage. This year, we got to see her as simply the winner. The final moments before crowning the New Miss America this year were like an eerie replay of the last Miss Oklahoma, and everyone in the audience of the Planet Hollywood theater in the “Okie Section” knew it. Seated two people away from me in the audience was my client Emoly West, Miss Oklahoma 2010, the Swimsuit Prelim winner, and 4th runner-up at Miss America 2011. Emoly, more than anyone else, could understand the inten- sity of that moment and being the last person on stage with Betty. STANDING TALL AMONG GIANTS The great thing about the Miss America Organization is the celebration of Scholarship, Community Service, Empowerment and Self-Improvement. There is no rule, unwritten or otherwise, that a contestant must have a certain color hair and height in order to be successful. This was a hallmark year for BodyTrends because of our brave but deliberate expansion into the Fashion and Couture and Salon arenas. This has allowed us to participate in more than just the BodySculpting area of our pageant clientele. Through our expan- sion we could help Betty Thompson, and the other BodyTrends clients who competed at this year’s Miss America, look their best from head to toe. Through special arrangements with some of the industry’s top fashion designers, we were able to help outfit Betty in eye-pop- ping, jaw-dropping, edgy-but-tasteful fashion to accentuate Betty’s amazing physique. Most people were not aware that Betty