Kristi Noem's Pageant Girl Past Proves She's Always Been Obsessed With Her Looks

It's pretty clear that Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem cares a lot about her looks. We've rarely ever seen Noem makeup-free, and side-by-side photos of her today and years ago put her rumored plastic surgery on blast. Between her beauty routine and the apparent nips and tucks she's undergone, Noem's complete transformation over time has had heads turning. Yet, while her look has certainly taken quite a turn in recent years, it seems that there's nothing new about her obsession with beauty. And, her past proves it.

Many moons before Kristi Noem's face became a laughing stock on "South Park," she was a beauty queen. And, she has opened up about the times when she donned tiaras and sashes, rather than fake ICE uniforms and heels. In 2015, she shared a photo of herself wearing a "Snow Queen" ribbon on Facebook. She captioned the photo, "Tbt — Snow Queen Days ... wonderful program for young women ... but what was I thinking with all that hair???" It was 1990 when Noem landed the South Dakota Snow Queen title, so it was fitting for the time that she had some very voluminous locks. These days, though, she's traded those curls in for obvious hair extensions and fake lashes. 

It's clear that in Kristi Noem's opinion, her beauty pageant days paved the way for her future in more ways than just a fixation on her appearance. In a 2016 interview with Aberdeen News, Noem opened up about being crowned the South Dakota Snow Queen over two decades prior when she was just 18 years old. "They weren't looking for the best interview or who gave the best speech, but a well-rounded person who can handle themselves in a variety of situations," she explained about exactly how she scored the title on behalf of Bryant, South Dakota.

According to Noem, this experience taught her some important skills that would follow her throughout her future career in politics. She put together her first-ever resume for the beauty pageant. Furthermore, she explained, "It was the first time I had sat down and done an interview with multiple people," noting, "It was very educational. To stand up and speak in front of individuals or a large amount of people at the Snow Queen contest was a first as well." Noem also added, "Even if I hadn't been blessed enough for Snow Queen, I've still been blessed for life with the friendships I made during the contest that year." Surely the friends she made and the experiences she got under her belt during her pageant days affected the trajectory of her life. But, we think being camera-ready and particularly focused on her looks was probably ultimately her biggest takeaway.