Miss USA Hopeful Opens Up About Her Scar: 'I Got Branded'

By Kelly Woo | Yahoo! TV 

Darren Decker/Miss Universe Organization, screengrab/Miss USA - Miss West Virginia USA 2013, Chelsea Welch, poses in evening gown upon arriving to Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She …more 

The next Miss USA could have a more permanent accessory than a crown.

Miss West Virginia Chelsea Welch carries a mark on her back from her time studying abroad in Tanzania. But it's not a scar from an injury or accident — she chose to put it on her body!

[Photos: Miss USA Contestants Carbo-Load Ahead of Pageant... Or Do They?]

"The Massai, they put a lot of burns and scars on their body. They think it beautifies them," she explained to Yahoo! TV. "So at the end of my trip they asked if I wanted to receive one of their traditional circle brands, so I thought, 'Well why not, let's go for it.'"

The 22-year-old grad student recently posted a "Road to the Crown" video with an image of herself getting the distinctive mark. As for its meaning, Welch remained coy. "The circle, they think is just a beautiful shape, I don't think there really is a specific meaning to the shape," she said.