My boyfriends first super supportive act in my transition to veganism was gifting me the Petit Vour beauty box. It's been 5 months since I started receiving my boxes (only 1 more left D: ) and here is my round-up of my favorite products (going from left to right)
I've mentioned it many times before, I want to do another pageant. After reflecting and talking with some other girls, I wasn't sure if Miss Washington USA was the pageant for me. Don't get me wrong, the staff and amazing women who competed made me really think if I wanted to not go back. Truth be told, there are many other pageant systems and some fit my personality and messages I want to spread a bit better than others. I was on Pageant Planet which I'm sure any person into pageants has been on. In fact, just finding the link makes me want to scour their site again. On said website I stumbled across the top pageant system and on it was the Miss Earth system. Upon reading what they were about "Beauties for a Cause", environmental awareness I knew that this was a pageant right up my ally. I became a vegan for environmental impact and strive everyday to make better and more informed decisions to cut down my carbon footprint. To compete in the US pageant you have to submit an application and pass an interview. During my interview the pageant was explained and I loved their message, the importance of our platform and the girl as whole and not just a beauty (here's an article a/b a town that banned the "beauty" in "beauty pageants"). I think it's vitally important for pageant contestants to not just be trained to do the right thing but to live it and I feel that this pageant does a good job of that, at least from my discussions. Corresponding with those running the pageant have been informative, pleasant, and personable; it's not just a business. All this being said, I am proud to announce that I have passed the initial scorings and have been accepted into a NATIONAL pageant. I'm currently raising money and getting fit for this July pageant! I am so proud to keep expanding my horizons and finding new venues to meet new and talented women and also to be a role model of change. I will keep everyone updated on what happens on this blog! At the end of my high school days I really got into sewing. I aspired to be a cosplayer with the most magnificent sailor moon costume one had ever seen! Then I learned the truth of sewing, it's not as easy as it looks. I used my moms old sewing machine (circa 1964) and all of her leftover supplies to start practicing. Along came my first opportunity for costume, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 and I dressed as a Rita Skeeter with a lime green pencil skirt and a pink and black cloak. It was pretty good.
Flash to the future where I live in a tiny apartment and aspire towards sustainability. In my thought process I thought that the easiest way to be sustainable, fair trade, and sweatshop free in my wardrobe was to handpick my fabrics and supplies and do the labor myself! I needed a good hobby that wasn't thinking about pageants and school. So, after an adventure to Fremont and a lot of prep and many more mistakes learning my new machine. I have made my circle skirt! The distance of the photo does me a lot of good bc my stitching was off and I made up my own way to put on the waistband. I'm extremely proud of making something useful. Thank you dad for hearing all my wishes and buying the gift that will keep on giving <3 I have lots of ideas and passions of things I want to do and only one of them really requires college. Sticking with it has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. I am sticking with it because I have been given the opportunity to go to college and I will succeed. I won't throw away this gift.
That being said, I wish formal education allowed for the following of passions. I have no opportunity to enjoy my passions because of the restrictions of society. I would love to sew and create in my free time. I would love to volunteer again. That's all I want. The problem is that studying is a full time job. In addition, I've got to work to survive. I have no financial support from my family; which is fine but the system is created on daddy footing the bill. The privilege of education doesn't allow me to enjoy it. I'm choosing majors I can get it over with rather than what I love because that's less on the student loans. My university is racked with clubs, organizations, events, and opportunities but I can't enjoy a single one because if I'm not in class, I'm bussing, or I'm working. I hate it. The biggest contributor is rent and utilities and I live in a cheaper building. I'm astounded by how we are charged to live. I'd like to act on my passions and I'm looking forward to this winter to start sewing again and looking up 'zines. I will succeed and I will thrive. Not only that; I will be an avenue and advocate for change because if I'm struggling there are those who are working even harder and getting even less. After watching the videos from friends and looking at the professional pictures is that I was not prepared at all.
Now, I don't know about you all but I don't necessarily hear a lot about pageants. Most people were incredibly supportive of my first pageant. Turns out they were supportive me going after my goals and dreams and not necessarily doing a pageant. After Miss Washington USA 2015, any mention of another pageant has put most of those I keep company with on edge. They don't necessarily say anything but the looks, those side glances, the slightly dropped jaw, all of it; all of it sets me on edge. What do people hate or feel negatively about pageants? I honestly don't know them all. What I want to discuss is why I'm choosing to do another. I had a lot of post-pageant turbulence in terms of my emotions. After not making finals, I wasn't sure pageants were for me. After the pageant and being dead on my feet and having quite a few disappointments, I didn't think pageants were for me. Within about 2 days, I couldn't stop thinking about it! I had met so many wonderful women and experienced so many things, how can I describe it all?? So how about a nifty little chart to get us going?
To put it simply, participating in Miss Washington USA was one of the most reaffirming things I've ever done for my worth. I didn't win anything so don't think that I'm putting my worth in the hands of others. By going on stage, dancing, speaking, strutting in a bikini, and hearing my special facts all at one time reaffirmed how awesome I truly was. I had done something crazy and amazing. I am not always confident. I am not always body positive. The environment the pageant directors had created made it so all of that was possible! There were so many girls providing help and words of encouragement you couldn't but help feel yourself rise to the occasion. We all need that. Women and girls are constantly being belittled about their appearance and worth because of their actions but here is an event where we go to get judged and those that win nothing still leave with more confidence and self-worth than they came! Why isn't that positive? I am proud of who I am. I am proud of how far I've come. I celebrate my worth by doing what makes me feel confident and strutting in a bikini while Miss Washington USA reads my "fun fact" makes me feel like a goddess. Trust me though, my body is not that of the average bikini model and that's what makes it wonderful. I've applied for another pageant (another post) and I have learned so much about myself and what I want to make me feel like another pageant will continue to help me mentally, physically, and professionally. I am doing another one for me; and no one has the right to take that away from me. I won't let anyone "steal my thunder".
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MeganMiss Earth Pacific Northwest 2015 Archives
October 2015
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