Arica Bagley never expected to be chosen for the Maxim Cover Girl competition.
“I’m a mom with two kids from Lincoln, Nebraska,†she said.
And she’s 31.
“That’s another reason I was so surprised,†she said.
But the hair stylist, who also is studying film at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, was plucked from thousands of submissions and now needs to keep her in the competition.
The winner among the chosen contestants earns $25,000 plus a cover spot with the international men’s magazine, which has a monthly circulation worldwide of around 9 million. Voting started Monday.
Bagley applied on a whim two months ago after seeing something about the photo contest on Instagram.
She said Maxim personnel liked how funny and personable she is, traits she said she has learned from living in Lincoln for the past five years.
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“That’s just how Nebraskans are,†she said.
Another thing that set her apart, she thinks, was her answer to the question, “What would be your dream photo shoot?â€
Bagley said a lot of women answered that they wanted their pictures on yachts, the stage or a fancy island.
Should she win, Bagley has arranged to have her cover photo taken with Kaelynn Partlow, who has appeared on the television show “Love on the Spectrum.†The photo session will be in France.
Partlow is an advocate for kids with autism. Bagley is an advocate for abused children.
“Just imagine two powerhouse women on the cover of Maxim, one advocates for child abuse and the other advocates for autistic children,†she said. “It’d be an amazing article and a powerful cover.â€
The prize money also would be donated, she said, instead of buying an expensive purse or car. The Child Advocacy Center and Make-a-Wish Nebraska would be her target organizations.
Bagley said she was abused as a child and felt that she had no voice or power. She was suicidal for years but started trauma therapy after moving from Utah to Lincoln. Now, she’s happy. She loves school and the freedom she has found here.
She hadn’t planned to tell anyone she was chosen for the contest but then realized what a stage the cover could be for someone wanting to help abused kids like herself and for autistic children.
“I don’t desire to be famous or have a lot of money,†she said. “It’s more important to give back.â€