CROWNING GLORY—The new Miss Ventura County, Ebony Taylor, doesn’t mind that her crown doesn’t fit on her head. She’s happy she can use the title to promote her platform, encouraging young people to learn skills through debate teams. WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers Like most beauty queens, Ebony Taylor has a crown—but she won’t be donning it during her yearlong reign as Miss Ventura County.

Her decision isn’t a statement against the traditional regalia of pageant winners, but rather a matter of practicality. Because she doesn’t have any hair, Taylor’s diamond-encrusted tiara doesn’t fit properly.

The crown issue is one of the only drawbacks the talented 23year-old has experienced since deciding two years ago to cut off all her hair simply because she was “tired of doing it.”

“It takes a lot of money and a lot of effort and it became a crutch for me. I cut it off because I wanted to start over again,” said Taylor, a full-time student at Moorpark College.

Clearly, the judges at last month’s Miss Ventura County competition didn’t mind her untraditional look. Taylor bested 10 contestants to earn the 2010 title and a shot at becoming Miss California.

“That’s what’s so awesome about me winning this pageant— it speaks a lot about what it means to be yourself and be a role model every day without frills and bells and whistles,” she said.

The pageant was the first of its kind for Taylor—but she’s no stranger to being judged. The former reality TV contestant and runway model gave up the glitz and glam of the fashion world to return to college, and now she’s a star member of the school’s debate team.

Top model

Several years ago, when she was a senior at Cleveland Humanities Magnet High School in Reseda, Taylor appeared on the fifth season of the hit reality show “America’s Next Top Model.” Although she was one of the first models voted off the show created by supermodel Tyra Banks, she has positive memories of the experience.

“I think that I got selected because they thought I had a great personality and it would add to the show,” Taylor said. “When you’re in high school, that’s the coolest thing ever.”

Following her appearance on the show, Taylor worked as a model for fashion moguls in Australia and Hong Kong and participated in runway fashion shows in New York.

After considering a long-term career in modeling, the Los Angeles native ultimately decided to return to school.

“One day you’re hot, and the next you’re not,” she said of the entertainment industry. “It was a great learning experience, but the industry puts an inconceivable amount of pressure on you and it keeps you in a mold that’s pretty small since your job is to be judged by people.”

Debating it

A resident of North Hollywood, Taylor chose Moorpark College in 2008 because she wanted to join its nationally-ranked debate team.

“I was always kind of an argumentative person, so it interested me to do that in an intelligent setting,” she said.

Debate coach Rolland Petrello said Taylor has that rare combination of beauty, intelligence and the ability to clearly articulate her thoughts. 

“While she is certainly beautiful, it was Ebony’s intelligence and speaking ability that make her a formidable competitor,” Petrello said.  

Never having debated competitively before coming to Moorpark, Taylor won top honors at the state and national levels last year and holds national titles in poetry interpretation and programmed oral interpretation. Most recently, Taylor and her debate partner, Joe Laughon, won a tournament at Cerritos College.

Taylor is a mentor with the Urban Debate Leagues, a nonprofit group that sponsors forensics programs for students who live in the inner city. As Miss Ventura County, she’s promoting her platform “Education Through Competition” to encourage young people to join debate teams at school.

“The sport cultivates attributes and characteristics that will help you succeed in your long-term education goals as well as your career goals,” said Taylor. Close to a quarter of the members of Congress participated in debate programs when they were young, she said.

“It’s like a fraternity that will open doors for you that would never open otherwise.”

Overcoming challenges

The second-youngest of five sisters, Taylor said her San Fernando Valley family experienced many hardships, but her mother made sure her daughters worked hard in school so they could pursue their dreams later on.

“My sisters and I have been homeless several times between the ages of 6 and 14. Being homeless is a terrible experience that fosters insecurity and fear and forces a stronger, interdependent family,” she said.

“Books were also the reason I was inspired to do better,” said Taylor, who at age 12 found motivation in the resilient characters in Charles Dickens’ novels, like Pip in “Great Expectations.”

“These characters went through so much hardship, but they never gave up and that was inspiring to me. I had just been beaten down so much growing up, so to know that it’s possible to get out of that and not be a victim of circumstances, it was just amazing.”

The Miss California pageant will take place in Fresno in July. Crown or no crown, Taylor said she’ll give it her all.