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ST. GEORGE — Raising awareness for women's post-birth challenges is the message 2023 Mrs. Washington County will promote during her reign.
Ashley Sorenson will compete in March of 2024 at the Mrs. Utah America program. Sorenson's pageant platform focuses on maternal mental health. She said many women who give birth struggle physically and emotionally to bounce back.
"The reason that I am so passionate about this is that I have worked with postpartum women," Sorenson told St. George News. "Most of my career as a corrective exercise specialist, I see so many women coming through that are not only struggling physically postpartum but are struggling emotionally as well."
Sorenson researched how she could make a difference and make some changes in her community. She said she came across the Mrs. Utah America program online and saw what excellent work some of these women are doing. Sorenson said she had not been a "pageant girl ever before."
Sorenson realized the sash and crown opened up many doors and opportunities to get these women to share their stories and what they're passionate about.
"So my entire purpose of competing for Mrs. Utah is to hopefully get that crown and use that crown as a microphone to amplify maternal mental health," Sorenson said. Sorenson said she liked that Mrs. Washington County and Mrs. Utah pageants are less about how pretty or how much Botox one has and more about what one has to offer.
