Caitlin Upton

Biography

Lauren Caitlin "Caite" Upton (born March 27, 1989) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007 and represented South Carolina at Miss Teen USA 2007 where she placed third runner-up.

== Career ==

=== 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant === Upton became Miss South Carolina Teen USA for 2007 in the November 2006 state pageant. She went on to place as third runner-up in the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. Upton gained international notoriety for her incoherent response to a question posed to her onstage during the August 2007 national pageant. During the pageant, Upton responded to a question posed by judge Aimee Teegarden: "Recent polls have shown a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map. Why do you think this is?" Upton responded:

I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, um, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq and everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future.

As a guest on NBC's The Today Show shortly after the pageant, Upton told Ann Curry and Matt Lauer that she was overwhelmed when asked the question and did not comprehend it correctly. The Today Show hosts gave Upton another opportunity to answer. She responded:

Well personally, my friends and I, we know exactly where the United States is on our map. I don't know anyone else who doesn't. And if the statistics are correct, I believe that there should be more emphasis on geography in our education so people will learn how to read maps better.

Both Curry and Lauer, along with unseen crew members, applauded her response.

=== Mental health struggles === After her response at the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant went viral, Upton experienced significant public criticism and personal difficulties. In a 2015 interview with New York Magazine, she disclosed that the widespread backlash contributed to a period of severe depression and suicidal thoughts. Upton described this time as "very dark" and noted that she kept her struggles private, confiding only in a few trusted individuals, including her fiancé, best friend, and eventually her mother. Upton recounted specific incidents of harassment, including being taunted by a group of students at the University of South Carolina and receiving a threatening letter in her parents' mailbox. The letter contained hostile content, urging her to "go die" due to the pageant incident. Upton credited her family and close friends with providing essential support during this difficult time.