Pageant News Bureau - Carrie Stroup

Full-fledged babe

In the summer of 1998, Carrie Stroup of North Carolina was crowned Miss United States Teen. She went on to finish as first runner-up at Miss Teen International. She was also Miss Congeniality and winner of the swimsuit award at the international pageant.

People who saw her would say, "She is incredibly cute."

In the summer of 2000, Ms. Stroup slipped into something very comfortable and went to Cherokee to compete for the Miss Hawaiian Tropic North Carolina title. She was still only 18 years old, but when she stepped out on the stage, the word "cute" was history.

The new word was "hot." The bikini beginner won the state title. "It was so unexpected, my parents didn't even bring along a camera," she said.

Ms. Stroup is still barely old enough to vote, but she's not a girl anymore. She's playing in the women's league, as the youngest competitor at Miss Hawaiian Tropic International.

She spent most of the summer of 2000 on modeling assignments. She's meeting celebrities and starting to think that her future may lie in show business.

And she's free. She wanted us to mention that she recently broke up with her boyfriend, and she's open to meeting new people. But is she lonely? "Too busy to be lonely right now."

Photos courtesy of Carrie Stroup