From our Editors

Something to be proud of

Laura Kaeppeler won the Miss America 2012 competition on Jan. 14. By Jan. 15 I was composing this letter in my head.

This was big news. Kaeppeler is from Kenosha and she just won a national contest that only 84 women have ever won since 1921 — and only one was from Wisconsin. I knew we would feature her in She magazine. So why did I feel so conflicted?

I’ll have to admit I’m not a big fan of contests that — among other things — require participants to walk across a stage in rhinestone-studded gowns and teeny bikinis. I know, I know, the contest is a lot more than that, but has an unattractive woman ever won the title? Has a fat gal ever walked away with the sash and crown? Why in our society does beauty so often trump brains?

But then it hit me — Laura Kaeppeler isn’t just beautiful, she’s brainy too. Being She editor is just a small part of my job. About 90 percent of my professional career is spent as digital editor for the Kenosha News. And in that role I viewed hours of Kaeppeler interviews as I edited video of her as Miss Wisconsin to post on our website.

I watched her answering questions about her platform — mentoring children of incarcerated parents. I watched her talking about her education at St. Joseph High School and at Carthage College. I watched her interacting with children and speaking to prisoners, encouraging them to reconnect with their kids. In every instance I saw an intelligent, confident, articulate woman — a woman that mothers can be proud to point to as a role model for their daughters.

Now the national spotlight is on her. As Miss America 2012, she has the opportunity to influence, to inspire, to inform countless people. We should be thrilled that such an authentic representative is in that position, and we should be proud that she’s from southeastern Wisconsin.

Kathleen Troher

She editor

Birthdays, a cause for celebration

I just celebrated a birthday in February, so I would like to start by saying that as you grow older, every birthday is a cause for celebration. They remind us that another year has come and gone and that we were around to make a difference.

Although I’ve celebrated almost all of my milestone birthdays with grace and dignity, there was one that was drowned in tears. Unlike most women, it wasn’t my 40th or even my 50th — it was my 30th.

I knew I wanted to be a singer since I was in second grade. I loved to sing, and I was going to make my living doing just that. I gave myself to the age of 30 to pursue that dream. Many things happened along the way — most significantly the birth of my first daughter. After that, a developing career in newspapers began. I spent the week before my 30th birthday feeling sorry for myself, wondering what I could have done differently, and whether I should change my deadline.

When my birthday came, I was hesitant to let go, but I decided whether or not I sing professionally it wasn’t going to define me. There are far more important measures than that.

I also decided I will never, EVER, use my birthday as a goal date again. Celebrations are a wonderful thing, and we shouldn’t let anything get in the way.

Lani Renneau

She managing director