DECEMBER 19, 2024 – Second Lt. Madison Marsh made history as the first active-duty servicemember to win the Miss America crown and title, and she spent 2024 traveling the country, meeting women and answering questions on how the Air Force empowers femininity. The nation responded.
In Colorado, a cadet told Marsh she was on the fence about accepting her nomination to the United States Air Force Academy until she saw Marsh crowned. According to the cadet, watching the lieutenant embrace both the crown and the combat boots proved that you don’t have to give up your femininity to wear the uniform.
In Florida, elementary students gave Marsh hand-drawn pictures, not just of crowns, but of the American flag and fighter planes.
In Delaware, young women confided that they didn’t know you could wear makeup while in uniform, and that they assumed you had to act “more like men” to serve in the military. They smiled and said Miss America changed their minds.
But Marsh was hardly the first.
Years before Marsh even started competing in pageants, women across the Air Force were crushing stereotypes and proving that femininity means strength, confidence, grace and authenticity.
Chief Master Sgt. Valeria Andrade, the Senior Enlisted Leader for Basic Military Training’s 321st Training Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, said she believes that femininity means something different to every woman. To her, it means simultaneously being strong and capable, soft and caring.
“Being feminine in the Air Force means having the freedom to be yourself; you don’t need to emulate your male counterparts to be competitive,” Andrade said. “To me, being a woman means extending yourself so that there’s space for others.”
She emphasized that does not mean being a pushover, but it does mean providing perspective and prioritizing empathy.
A maintenance analyst by trade, Andrade shared that early in her career, most of her role models were men. She worked in a male-dominated career field and, although her colleagues and leaders were wonderful, she often looked around the room and realized she was the only woman, sometimes the only minority. Andrade explained that, in those moments especially, she felt a responsibility to ensure all perspectives were considered, that no rank, gender or experience was excluded. She learned that from her leaders.
Andrade recalled that, years ago, when she first received orders to become a Military Training Instructor, she was excited for the opportunity but nervous about the logistics. Being an MTI requires early mornings, late nights and a deep well of energy. And Andrade was a single mom. She was worried about getting her daughter to school, helping with homework and still being able to give it her all at work. More than that, she was nervous to ask for help because she did not want to feel like a burden, and she did not want to let her new team down.
“But I swallowed my fears and explained the situation to my new leadership,” she leaned forward and smiled. “And—it turns out—I had nothing to worry about.”
Her Air Force community quickly rallied and worked out a schedule to watch Andrade’s daughter before and after work.
“They saw me as a complex person, not just a coworker, but also a mom, and that’s how I choose to lead. If someone doesn’t have a seat at the table, it’s my responsibility to consider the obstacles they may face—even outside of work—to make sure we’re supporting correctly,” she continued. “To me, that is just as much a part of embracing my femininity as my physical appearance is.”
First Lt. Nadia Rossin, a public affairs officer at Air Education and Training Command, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, echoed that sentiment. When she found out she was pregnant, Rossin was a senior in college, but she said she was determined to show that she “could still be a powerhouse,” and that pregnancy and motherhood did not define her.
Rossin said she gave birth on a Friday and attended class the following Monday.
After graduation, she commissioned into the Air Force and drove across the country to start her new life.
“I remember sleeping on a mattress on the floor with my five-month old the night before reporting to my first duty station and wondering how I was going to make it work,” she said. “But then I met my leadership and all of that changed.”
She recalled that both her first boss and the shop’s senior enlisted leader balanced their professional and personal lives as mothers well, and they demonstrated the type of leadership Rossin prioritizes today: one that considers the whole person. According to Rossin, her supportive Air Force community and the benefits—like a housing allowance, job stability, medical care—empower her to be the best mother and woman possible.
But motherhood isn’t the only aspect of femininity that Rossin feels the Air Force has supported. As a biracial woman from a small town, Rossin said she did not feel like she was surrounded by people who looked or thought like her until she joined the military. Even the Air Force’s hair standards allow her to “be proud of [her] heritage,” either by wearing her full curls in a ponytail or in braids—all within regulation.
“It used to take me thirty to forty minutes to get my hair into the bun,” Rossin said. “When they changed the regulation to allow for a ponytail, it saved me a lot of time and it made me feel seen. The Air Force has done so much to create a space where we can be ourselves.”
Chief Master Sgt. Tiffany Zaloudek, the first female SERE specialist to earn the rank of chief master sergeant, agrees.
“I’m excited for those coming in who get to experience today’s Air Force,” Zaloudek said. “We’re more accepting of people showing their individuality, but we’re just as lethal as ever.”
Zaloudek laughed and pulled up a picture of herself with acrylic nails and a bleach blonde ponytail, her hands dirty from showing her students how to skin and prepare wild game. The survival, evasion, resistance, escape specialist has spent most of her career outside, teaching Airmen how to survive in any geographic location and to—if necessary—evade capture. She has pushed herself mentally and physically, and, although the experience has shaped her tremendously, Zaloudek said she does not believe she has had to sacrifice an ounce of femininity to serve.
“Strength and femininity go hand in hand,” Zaloudek said. “Being a woman—being feminine—is unique to everyone, and it’s completely up to the individual. To me, being a woman is a beautiful balance of strength and peace, determination and softness, durability and the ability to foster trust.”
Growing up, Zaloudek said she felt at opposites with her mother—when Zaloudek was loud, her mom was quiet; when she was quick to share an opinion, her mother was quick to listen. Since taking on more leadership responsibilities, Zaloudek has adopted her mother’s empathy, realizing and appreciating the strength that comes from understanding and serving your team.
“There is no one correct way to be a woman, but what we bring to the table is invaluable,” Zaloudek said. “We are resilient. When we set our sights on something, we will achieve it. We are capable of absolutely anything, and we have the strength to adapt, pivot and care for others along the way.”
Andrade, Rossin, Zaloudek and Marsh all emphasized the importance of looking out for others and infusing empathy into your leadership style. They also shared—separately, in interviews that took place months apart—that at different points in their lives, they have all felt the need to prove themselves or resist asking for help because they were afraid of being perceived as weak. They explained these feelings did not come from opinions of their fellow Airmen, but from external voices. Although all four women shared countless examples of working hard and going above and beyond, in both their personal and professional lives, all have received flippant discredit from people outside of the military who claimed the women’s achievements only came about because they are “pretty.”
“You have to tune those voices out,” Andrade said.
“It says more about them and their insecurities than it does about you,” Zaloudek emphasized. She continued, praising her Air Force teammates and leaders for judging based on her performance and capabilities, not on looks.
Although Marsh’s reign as Miss America is coming to an end, she represents just one in the long line of women who have found community, acceptance and a life-changing challenge through Air Force service.
“It is important to take care of yourself, whatever that looks like,” Andrade said. “And the Air Force will take care of you; we will see you as a whole person.”
To learn more about what life in the Air Force could look like for you, connect with a recruiter or visit airforce.com to explore open career fields.
Story by Miriam Thurber
HQ Air Force Recruiting Service