The details of a beauty pageant from one’s youth may be a bit embarrassing, but what’s worse is when photos from the big event begin to surface.

Just ask freshman Rep. Kristi Noem. 

The South Dakota Republican was crowned Snow Queen back in 1990, according to an article in the Aberdeen News on Feb. 3. The story, “Snow Queen Title Meant Opportunity for Noem,” ran alongside a photo of a teenage Noem rocking big hair and a crown while holding a scepter.

Noem tells the Aberdeen News that the pageant “gave me my first opportunity to sit in an interview, to speak in public.”

So how does winning a pageant compare to winning a seat in Congress?

“Competing in the high school Snow Queen contest might have honed Rep. Noem’s public speaking skills, but growing up on the farm shoveling manure out of the barn seems to be better preparation for Congress thus far,” spokesman Joshua Shields tells HOH.