Recently, the Miss World contestants took part in a debate about Pageantry and Beauty With a Purpose. This inspired me to write about what Pageantry means to me as a teenager and as a young women!
I have been keeping up to date with as many pageants I can since Year 9 when I first realized that they have pageants in the UK. Since my acceptance into Miss Teen Great Britain in Year 10, I have been determined to make it to a final of a pageant and actually raise enough money to be able to compete!
But this is not because I feel like I can win, or I am full of myself. There is a lot more to pageants than your size and your looks!
"As a former contestant and now a judge and pageant author, I fully embrace the fact that pageants survive and continue to evolve. At a time when political correctness threatens to snuff out anything joyous or fun, how great to retain an arena in which educated, ambitious young ladies can show off their talent, personality and beauty and be centre stage for a night" - Sally-Ann Fawcett, Author & former pageant contestant and now judge.
I, myself, have not yet competed in a pageant - my first will be Miss Bolton 2015! But, just by being accepted into a prestigious pageant; it has significantly risen my confidence in not only how I look but with who I am!
I am not the slimmest girl, with the perfect body and I certainly don't have flawless skin! I am a young girl from a tiny village, and I don't have the richest of backgrounds/inheritance - you could say I'm just the typical girl next door.
But what I do have is a heart! And pageants dig deep into your heart to bring out who you are and what you care about. Now there is often charity fundraising involved, and some of the prettiest beauty queens aren't the skinniest and some have the most perfect bodies you've ever seen! However, I can guarantee they didn't win their title because of their body, they won it because of who they are, inside and outside!
My argument here is that pageants are not bad like they are socially claimed to be - they give the chance for a young and old women (even men) to come together and feel beautiful and raise money for a charity that will help those world wide! This increases confidence in so many ways, if your child or a friend of yours lacked in confidence - you'd want to make them and show them that they are beautiful inside and out.
THIS is what pageants do, this is what pageants achieve.
I'd like to end this post with my bid for Miss Bolton 2015 - and why I'd like to be your role model:
I am not the skinniest, I am not the tallest, I am not flawless, I am not perfect. However, I do have a heart - a heart not just to those who are my family and friends but a heart towards my community and my town! I am quite young to be entering a Miss England heat, but that's one other thing I'd like to do - Represent the youth of my town. Teenagers my age and younger, even just a year older have a bad reputation these days. We find ourselves being watched when we enter shops, elderly are often afraid of us when we come near them. I'd like to represent the elderly, encourage them to come out of hiding more and meet the future generation. And most importantly, I'd like to represent my fellow contestants - If I should win Miss Bolton 2015, I would want each contestant to become an active part of my journey and to come together to show what being a true 'BOLTON GAL' is all about! As I said, I have a loyal heart, I wouldn't let anybody down. I would continue to raise money for Variety as well as Beauty with a Purpose along with any other charities that could do with a little love! It is not just about becoming a beauty queen, it is about becoming a role model and a true inspiration!
Nicole Lake
Miss Bolton Finalist 2015
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vote-Nicole-Lake-for-Miss-Bolton-2015/322705807932890
https://www.justgiving.com/Nicole-Lake/
No comments:
Post a Comment