Krier making history in New York

In the world of beauty pageants, it’s typically the mother supporting, guiding and cheering on her daughter as she navigates the challenges faced by pageant contestants.

In the Krier household, it’s the other way around.

DeeAnna Krier, 63, will make history on Sept. 7 when she becomes the oldest model ever to walk the runway of a Marc Defang fashion show at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York City at Times Square.

The Weatherford woman said her acceptance into the show is a culmination of a process that began about five years ago.

“We met Marc back then, and I kept seeing that he had these shows in New York,” Krier said. “I would message him and say, ‘Hey, you need another model?’ He didn’t really notice me that much, and I didn’t really push it, because it was such a challenging time to fly. Everything was so challenging, so I didn’t really push it, and I didn’t really get a response from him.

“But every year, I just kind of mentioned it, half-heartedly at first, because I knew I wasn’t ready. So this year, I messaged him and said, ‘Hey, do you need more women to walk in your pageant?’ And he said yes. So then I really pursued it heavily.”

Krier said she sent Defang more messages and pictures, admittedly probably more than Defang wanted, and then she waited.

“I eventually told my husband I didn’t think I was going to be selected,” Krier said. “I had seen all these other women being selected, and then one of my sister-queens in the Dr. World productions, Dominique, got accepted. She lives in Washington DC, and she is a doctor. She told me ‘I got accepted,’ and I was all sad and blue. My husband told me ‘I don’t know, I just feel like you’re going to get picked. Just settle down, you’re going to get picked.’”

Getting the call

At 9 o’clock on a Monday night Krier got the call inviting her to participate in the show, and she said she could hardly sleep.

“The next day was also so exciting and so frantic,” Krier said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God! We’re going to New York!’ and then I had to call my brother who is a professional photographer and ask if he was coming with me. He lives in New York, so I wanted to make sure he was coming with us.

“I was sitting at my computer and Marc Defang started messaging me saying, ‘Do you realize what an honor this is? You are 63, you are the oldest woman I have ever picked. I want you to be super proud of this because it means something. You should be so proud of yourself.’”

Krier became emotional when she received the news and said her daughter Hannah was standing right beside her.

It was in fact Hannah who initially drew Krier to compete.

“My daughter was in National America Ms. in 2019 and went all the way to nationals, and I had the time of my life,” Krier said. “She did really well, but she didn’t want to do it again. I was like, ‘Please do it again,’ and she was like, ‘No, mom, but you know what, this is really for you. You need to do what you can do, like search it out.’”

In 2020, Krier, whose family owns Baker Ribs in Weatherford, did start researching online, and at the urging of her daughter she made the jump.

“Remember, 2020 was a very tough year,” Krier said. “Everyone was sad, the lobby was closed, we had a drive-thru that was open, but overall it was sad. It was depressing, and she said you need to do something that you love because you love this. I had no idea that there were hundreds of pageant systems for every age of woman.

“Whether you’re a toddler, or even in Las Vegas, they have a pageant where one contestant was 99. She came back every year just for the joy of being in the pageant. It kept her youthful.”

Krier said she competes for the same reason.

“It’s the process that I just love,” Krier said. “Not winning stings, yes, but you keep on going because it’s the thrill of the climb. It’s a thrill of the work.”

In her first pageant, Krier won first runner-up, Ms. Photogenic and Best in Social Media Community Involvement.

Krier has also been named Ms. Achievement North America, Ms. Achievement World and received the Dr. World Productions’ Ms. Achievement Pageantry Spirit Award.

Krier said receiving the honor of walking for Defang’s show in September is humbling for her.

“It’s groundbreaking,” Krier said. “It’s history. It’s so special because I have dreamed about being in a pageant since I was 7 years old living in Fairfield, Nebraska where there are 500 people. When you are 7, 8 or 9 years old and living in a town so small, you could only dream about this.”

The one thing that makes it even better is getting to experience it with her daughter.

“It is so amazing,” Krier said. “I can’t even find the words. It gives me chills every time I think about it. The thing about her is she is kind of shy and quiet, and she got an open call letter that came in the mail with an invitation to America National Ms.. She said ‘Mom, I want to do this.’ And I said, ‘What? You’re quiet and shy. She was even a little tomboyish and she said ‘No, I want to do it.’

“My husband and I said okay and drove her all the way to a hotel near DFW Airport. She went to that open call and she was fantastic. So for her to be able to go through that whole process and for me to be able to cheer her on is amazing. Now she is like my pageant coach. She teaches me how to walk and shows me things. She helps me… and it’s really special.”