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Nancy Redd
Nancy Redd
Nancy Redd
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Nancy Amanda Redd (born April 28, 1981) is an American author who was Miss Virginia in 2003 and competed in Miss America, finishing in the top ten and winning the preliminary "Lifestyle & Fitness in Swimwear" competition.[1]

Key Information

Redd authored the body positive nonfiction book Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers (2007), and hosted the show HuffPost Live.[2] She is also the author of Diet Drama: Feed Your Body! Move Your Body! Love Your Body (2010)[3] and Pregnancy, OMG!: The First Ever Photographic Guide for Modern Mamas-to-Be (2018).

Redd has since authored the children's books Bedtime Bonnet (2020) and The Real Santa (2021).

Early life and education

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Nancy Amanda Redd was born in Martinsville, Virginia on April 28, 1981. As a child in Virginia, she was active in 4-H, and was in Girls State in high school.[citation needed] In February 2002, while attending Harvard University, Redd won $250,000 on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and donated a considerable amount of her winnings to 4-H. Redd was one of Glamour's Top Ten College Women in October 2002.[4] Redd graduated from Harvard with honors in 2003, with a degree in women's studies.[5]

Pageantry

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Miss Virginia 2003

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Miss America 2003

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Career

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Books

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Redd is the author of many nonfiction books, including the New York Times bestseller Body Drama.[6] Her other nonfiction works on women's bodies include Diet Drama and Pregnancy OMG!.[7][8]

Redd's first children's book, Bedtime Bonnet, was released in 2020. She wrote the book for her daughter to celebrate "black nighttime hair routines".[9][10] Redd's second children's book is entitled The Real Santa, which was released in 2021. The book's goal was to fill a demand in the black community for representation of a black Santa Claus.[11][12]

Hosting

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Redd was a longtime host of HuffPost Live, which ran from 2012 to 2016. Redd hosted her last segment in 2015.[13] Redd would go on to host the show SoMe in 2016.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Redd is married to Indian-American actor Rupak Ginn. They have two children, a son named August and a daughter also named Nancy.[14]

Bibliography

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Nancy Redd

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Nancy Redd is an American author, on-air host, and media personality known for her bestselling children's picture books promoting cultural diversity and family traditions, as well as her nonfiction photographic guidebooks on women's health and body representation. She is a USA Today and New York Times bestselling author whose works include Bedtime Bonnet, which celebrates Black hair care and generational bonding, and The Real Santa, inspired by her efforts to find inclusive holiday imagery. Her nonfiction titles feature Pregnancy, OMG!, a photographic pregnancy guide that received coverage on The Today Show and excerpts in TIME magazine, and The Real Body Manual, another guide emphasizing real-body perspectives. Redd has established a prominent media presence through hosting and commentary. She anchored the web series Momprenuers across two seasons, interviewing notable figures including Steve Harvey and Queen Latifah, with the second season launching in 2023 on MadameNoire. She has appeared as a guest expert and commentator on national programs such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, HuffPost Live, and The Steve Harvey Show. In 2019, she served as a judge for the Miss America competition, following her public writing in support of eliminating the swimsuit competition. Her contributions have been highlighted in major outlets, including a New York Times opinion piece tied to The Real Santa, a PEOPLE magazine feature on Bedtime Bonnet spanning three generations of her family, Vogue coverage referencing her work on hair traditions, and Glamour discussions of her influence on pageant standards.

Early life and education

Early years

Nancy Redd was born on April 28, 1981, in Martinsville, Virginia. She grew up in this small town in Southern Virginia. As a child, she participated in 4-H programs, which provided her with early experiences in leadership and community activities. She was recognized as a Virginia 4-H All-Star in 2000, among the highest honors in the organization. During high school, Redd attended Girls State, a leadership and citizenship program for young women. These formative experiences in Virginia emphasized civic engagement and personal development prior to her college years.

Harvard University

Nancy Redd attended Harvard College, where she concentrated in women's studies. She graduated in 2003 with honors. During her junior year, in February 2002, Redd won $250,000 on the College Edition of ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. She donated a portion of her winnings to 4-H, the youth development organization with which she had been involved since childhood. In October 2002, Glamour magazine selected her as one of its Top 10 College Women, describing her as "most likely to succeed—at anything." She also received the L'Oréal Beauty of Giving Young Woman of the Year award during her college years. Shortly after graduation, Redd was crowned Miss Virginia 2003.

Beauty pageant career

Miss Virginia 2003

Nancy Redd won the title of Miss Virginia 2003 after graduating from Harvard University with an honors degree in women's studies. She was crowned on June 28, 2003, at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia, while competing as Miss Martinsville-Henry County. Redd became the 50th Miss Virginia through this victory. As Miss Virginia 2003, she represented the state at the Miss America 2004 competition.

Miss America 2004

Nancy Redd competed in the Miss America 2004 pageant as Miss Virginia. She advanced to the Top 10 finalists but did not reach the Top 5. In the preliminaries, Redd won the Lifestyle and Fitness in Swimwear competition.

Writing career

Nonfiction books

Nancy Redd has authored several nonfiction books that focus on body positivity, health education, and women's experiences, often using candid photographs and straightforward language to address topics typically shrouded in shame or misinformation. Her debut nonfiction work, Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers, was published in December 2007. The book features real photographs of diverse young women's bodies alongside discussions of common concerns such as body hair, skin changes, and development, aiming to reassure readers that variation is normal. It achieved New York Times bestseller status and helped establish Redd's reputation in body-positive literature. Redd followed with Diet Drama: Feed Your Body! Move Your Body! Love Your Body! in December 2010, which addresses young women's anxieties around weight, diet, exercise, and body image, promoting balanced and healthy approaches over restrictive trends. In 2018, she published Pregnancy, OMG!: The First Ever Photographic Guide for Modern Mamas-to-Be, a visual exploration of the physical changes during pregnancy, described as the first book of its kind to use real photographs to document often-unanticipated bodily transformations in a humorous and reassuring way. An excerpt from the book appeared in TIME magazine. Her most recent nonfiction title, The Real Body Manual: Your Visual Guide to Health & Wellness, was released on October 22, 2024, offering a photographic overview of health and wellness topics for young adults of all genders.

Children's books

Nancy Redd has authored two children's picture books that emphasize positive representation and cultural pride in Black experiences. Her debut children's book, Bedtime Bonnet, was published in 2020 by Random House Kids. The story celebrates the nighttime hair care routines common in many Black families, portraying a young girl and her loved ones wrapping their hair in colorful bonnets while highlighting the diversity of Black hair textures and styles. Illustrated by Nneka Bennett, the book draws from Redd's personal observations as a mother and aims to normalize and affirm these rituals for young readers. It received media attention, including features in People, Vogue, and Good Morning America, for its joyful depiction of Black family life and self-care. In 2021, Redd released her second children's book, The Real Santa, also with Random House Kids. The story explores a child's quest to find a Black Santa Claus, addressing themes of inclusion and visibility during the holiday season. It was inspired by Redd's New York Times op-ed "In Search of Black Santa," published on December 9, 2021, which reflected on her own childhood experiences and the importance of diverse representations in holiday traditions. Illustrated by Fanny Liem, the book promotes empathy and the idea that Santa can reflect the diversity of the children who believe in him.

Television and media career

HuffPost Live

Nancy Redd served as a host on HuffPost Live, the Huffington Post's live-streaming video network, from 2013 to 2015. She anchored weekday segments focusing on entertainment, lifestyle, parenting, and celebrity content. Her work included producing and hosting discussions on body image, health, and parenting topics, often highlighting underrepresented stories such as experiences with Tourette syndrome, post-weight-loss journeys, or unusual family multiples. She interviewed prominent figures including former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, celebrity chef Hugh Acheson, and actress Sarah Michelle Gellar. HuffPost Live received recognition as the most innovative media product to emerge in 2012 according to Mashable readers. After HuffPost Live concluded its run, she transitioned to other hosting opportunities.

Other hosting and appearances

Nancy Redd has hosted and contributed to a variety of television programs and media projects beyond her primary role at HuffPost Live. In 2016, she hosted the series SoMe, which aired for 7 episodes. In 2023, she hosted Momprenuers on MadameNoire, with Season 2 launching in May of that year. Redd returned to the Miss America organization in a judging capacity, serving as a preliminary judge for the 2019 Miss America competition. She has also made multiple on-camera appearances as herself, including segments on Home & Family from 2016 to 2018, as well as appearances on Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, and other programs. In 2021, Redd created and wrote the series Couple Goals, which consisted of 3 episodes.

Personal life

Family

Nancy Redd is married to actor Rupak Ginn. They have two children, a son named August and a daughter. Her daughter served as the inspiration for her children's book Bedtime Bonnet, which celebrates Black hair traditions in bedtime routines. Motherhood has influenced her work in children's literature.

References

  1. https://nancyredd.com
  2. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1917655/
  3. https://heragenda.com/p/nancy-redd/
  4. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/7/3/two-new-grads-to-face-off/
  5. https://www.virginiachronicle.com/?a=d&d=RFP20030710.1.16
  6. https://www.hercampus.com/school/cu-boulder/notable-people-who-attended-boys-or-girls-state/
  7. https://www.mnthunderingthird.org/mn-girls-state
  8. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2003/05/estimable-seniors-html
  9. https://freshfiction.com/author.php?id=17987
  10. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/2/5/millionaire-game-show-nets-junior-250000/
  11. https://www.huffpost.com/author/nancy-redd
  12. https://martinsvillebulletin.com/news/local/nancy-redd-crowned-miss-virginia/article_2ce1aa0a-9487-508c-aeff-80946459bab8.html
  13. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/9/22/alums-wow-fall-short-at-pageant/
  14. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/body-drama_nancy-amanda-redd/266092/
  15. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1225592.Body_Drama
  16. https://www.gettyimages.fi/detail/video/nancy-redd-on-her-bestselling-book-body-drama-at-the-uutismateriaali/80160006
  17. https://www.amazon.com/Diet-Drama-Feed-Your-Body/dp/1592406025
  18. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pregnancy-OMG-Nancy-Redd/dp/1250113180
  19. https://www.nancyredd.com/
  20. https://www.amazon.com/Real-Body-Manual-Visual-Wellness/dp/0593541405
  21. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1917655/bio/
  22. https://www.newyorkfamily.com/parent-profile-redd-hot-mama-october-2014/
  23. https://www.etcentric.org/huffpost-live-is-reinventing-cable-news-for-the-web/
  24. https://www.soapboxinc.com/speakers/nancy-redd/
  25. https://www.nancyredd.com/about
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