Vanessa Williams stopped by the HuffPost Live studios on Monday to discuss her new Tony-nominated Broadway play "The Trip To Bountiful." Talk turned to a #tbt tweet Williams posted recently featuring a 1983 photo of her as the first African-American Miss America.
Co-host Alicia Menendez asked Williams if she thought the pageant was even relevant anymore.
"I did [Miss America] because I was a junior in college, [and] I got scholarships every year," she responded. "I had no idea that I would win...in terms of means to an end, I don't think it worked for me because my mean was I wanted to be where I am right now."
"Also," Williams continued, "being labeled a beauty queen really hurt my brand...a lot of people assume if you have a Miss anything in front of your name, it negates any sort of talent or intellect you have."
When co-host Marc Lamont Hill asked if the value of Miss America has changed in a world where women are accomplishing so much, Williams answered that "it depends on what you are as a person and what you want to accomplish."