Mary Sickler - American contestant at Miss World 2026 - confidently goes bald after being diagnosed with total hair loss.
At Miss World 2026 taking place in Vietnam, Mary Sickler attracted attention when she appeared with a hairless head in the Head to Head Challenge presentation competition at the end of August. Instead of wearing a wig as in the activities during the first two weeks of the competition, the American beauty revealed her bald head and wore flowers on her head. Sickler said she has alopecia universalis, the most severe form of alopecia areata, causing the patient to lose all hair on the scalp and all hair on the body.
The 23-year-old beauty was diagnosed with this disease in December 2024. Before that, she pursued a modeling career and had the opportunity to do a photo shoot for Louis Vuitton. When her hair started falling out, she feared it would affect her work and self-image.
According to People, at first, Sickler stopped modeling and tried to hide her hair loss. Sticking with beauty contests since the age of 10, Sickler encountered many difficulties when her hair changed, making her self-conscious about her appearance and losing some advertising contracts.
After that, she gradually opened up and decided to return to beauty contests. In 2025, Sickler won 1st runner-up at Miss Texas USA. After that, she was crowned Miss Nevada and represented the state at Miss USA 2025, where she placed in the top 4. At the Miss USA preliminary round, she had one of the most notable appearances when she removed her wig and replaced it with a jeweled accessory on her head.
From personal experience, Sickler built the project "Blooming Again: Shattering Beauty Standards" (Blooming Again: Shattering Beauty Standards), part of the Beauty With a Purpose program of Miss World 2026. The project focuses on supporting people with hair loss and those who have lost hair due to health problems.
Sickler's project is implemented with three main directions including education, support and empowerment. She mentors children, speaks at conferences, visits families and creates spaces where people with hair loss feel included, listened to and more confident.
Before coming to Miss World 2026, the beauty was the 1st runner-up at Miss World America 2026. According to the organizers, because Miss Jade Glab did not attend, Sickler was chosen instead, and Glab will compete next year in Tanzania. Sickler said he sees this as an opportunity to tell his story and represent people with hair loss.
Sickler doesn't see beauty pageants as a destination. She is currently a senior majoring in health sciences at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Her studies exposed her to issues related to health, education, public policy and access to health care. After Miss World, she plans to return to school to complete college, then study law. The beauty wants to become a lawyer specializing in women's rights and provide legal support to injured people and families who cannot afford lawyer fees.
The beauty said: "The Miss World playground gives me the opportunity to assert myself, but my journey does not stop when the contest or title ends. I hope to accompany children, speak up for everyone and contribute to changing limited concepts of beauty."
After 72 seasons, Miss World took place for the first time in Vietnam, organized by Golden Lotus Company in coordination with Miss World Organization, passing through three provinces including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Khanh Hoa from August 8 to September 5. The final will take place at the outdoor stage, set up on Nha Trang beach in the April 2 Square campus.
Miss World, first held in 1951, is one of the two largest and oldest beauty contests in the world, besides Miss Universe. The playground celebrates the spirit of global solidarity by finding girls with beauty, education and meaningful community projects.
