PHOTOS: Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, New Miss USA

This means gay marriage is legal now, right?

PHOTOS: Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, New Miss USA
source

Amid all the smiling perfection that was on display in photos during the 58th annual Miss USA pageant Sunday night, Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton managed to stand out from the crowd on stage, on TV and in her photos and snare the sparkly crown, passed on by outgoing Miss USA Crystle Stewart.

Miss West Virginia Jessi Pierson was named Miss Photogenic; Miss Wyoming Cynthia Pate landed the Miss Congeniality title.

Kristen Dalton, Miss North Carolina 2009, took home the Miss USA crown Sunday evening in Las Vegas, edging past Miss California Carrie Prejean and Miss Arizona, Alicia-Monique Blanco. Dalton is part of a North Carolina pageant dynasty (we were surprised as you to learn that such a thing exists): Her mother was Miss North Carolina USA 1982 and her sister was Miss North Carolina Teen USA 2008.

Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, seen in photos as a blue-eyed blonde who studied psychology and Spanish at East Carolina University, hails from Wilmington and, according to the press release from the Miss USA organization, is a talented singer and dancer, though you wouldn't know it from the pageant, which, unlike Miss America, does not have a talent competition (although parading across a stage in a bikini designed by none other than esteemed tastemaker Jessica Simpson and gold high heels does require an abundance of balance, poise and at least two other things.

See photos of Miss USA Kristen Dalton here.

PHOTOS: Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton, New Miss USA