By Guest blogger: Maxine Cesar
A common misconception of women who compete in pageants are that they are just “pretty faces”. Since the 1900s, movies like The American Venus (1926) and The Beauty Jungle (1964) have depicted pageantry in a very satirical lens, not only negatively facilitating society's view on these competitions, but ultimately showing their disdain towards women. In retrospect, some of the most influential, powerful and intelligent women started as beauty queens - Oprah Winfrey, Eva Longoria, Halle Berry, and Priyanka Chopra, just to name a few. Pageantry has not only given women confidence to walk into any room and demand attention, but it's also given women the tools to change the world.
I was a young girl when I was introduced to pageantry. Growing up in a very proud Haitian home, during a crippling time for Haiti, it was hard to find positive representation in media that helped me feel seen. Certainly, I had a family full of beautiful and successful women, but I rarely seen someone like us being depicted on television. It wasn’t until I began watching Miss Universe that I got to see women, especially women of color, being shown in the light that they deserved. They celebrated their achievements loudly and proudly in a society that tells us we have to be quiet to be graceful.
I will always remember Raquel Pelissier, a survivor of the devastating earthquake in 2010, placing 1st runner up at Miss Universe 6 years later and how proud she made so many of us. That moment signified her will to make an impact that would be remembered in history, and that she did. So many underrepresented women felt pride and encouragement in her success and realized that they are also capable of leaving a mark wherever they go.
Today, I am a nurse, a writer, and an advocate for women's health. I am dedicated to raising awareness about the repercussions of medical gaslighting through my platform The Speak Up Project. I do the work daily, but competing in pageants has helped me build an even bigger community. It's given me an opportunity to amplify not only my voice, but the voices of other women who haven’t found theirs. It’s allowed me to share my story and the story of my ancestors. Most importantly, it’s allowed me to be the representation that I needed as a little girl.
People will believe what they want until experience teaches them otherwise. Misconceptions are ceaseless, but the truth is, beauty pageants are just one of the few spaces that really allow women to celebrate all that she is. It’s not an opportunity to create satirical films, it's a chance to honor the beauty, diversity, intelligence and leadership in women.
