Pageantry Haley began her career in
pageantry at the age of 16, competing in
Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2009, where she placed as the third runner-up behind eventual winner Vanessa Johnston. She returned to the competition the following year and was crowned Miss Minnesota Teen USA 2010. As Miss Minnesota Teen USA, she earned the right to represent
Minnesota at the
Miss Teen USA 2010 competition, held at
Atlantis Paradise Island in
Paradise Island, Bahamas. She did not place in the competition, with the eventual winner being
Kamie Crawford of
Maryland. In 2013, while a senior in college, Kalil competed in
Miss Minnesota USA 2014 in
Burnsville, Minnesota. She went on to be crowned the winner, and earned the right to represent Minnesota at
Miss USA 2014 in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At Miss USA, Kalil placed within the top twenty contestants, before losing out the crown to
Nia Sanchez of
Nevada. After completing her reign as Miss Minnesota USA, Kalil crowned Jessica Scheu as her successor, and retired from pageantry. She judged the
Miss USA 2021 competition.
Modeling In 2017, Kalil took part in the
Sports Illustrated Swim Search. She advanced from her original application to one of the top 35, and later top fifteen contestants. As a member of the top fifteen, Kalil modeled in
Miami to debut
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Swim and Active apparel lines. She advanced to the top six, and was invited for a shoot in the 2018 issue as a model search contestant. In March 2018, it was announced that Kalil had been selected as one of the two winners of the competition, alongside
Camille Kostek. She appeared as a rookie model in the 2019 edition, and also appeared in the 2020 and 2021
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue editions. In 2018, Kalil was signed to
Wilhelmina Models New York, but stated in March 2023 that she would no longer work with modeling agencies citing negative experiences.
Met Gala and Blockout 2024 In May 2024, Kalil (who goes by @haleyybaylee on social media) gained attention for a
TikTok video posted on the day of the 2024
Met Gala in which she lip-synced to an audio of the movie
Marie Antoinette (2006) dressed in a "floral headdress with doll-like makeup" at the Met Gala saying "
let them eat cake". The video was cited for being "tone-deaf" and "dystopian" in contrast to the recent
protests and arrests on university campuses related to the
Gaza-Israel conflict. She later apologized in a nine-minute-long video stating her intention was never to offend anyone. However, her video served as a catalyst for
Blockout 2024, a campaign to block celebrities' social media accounts based on their views regarding the conflict. ==Personal life==