06/05/2024
Breaking the Mould: Behind the Curtains of Glimmer and Glam.
Under the spotlight where applause, glimmering dresses, and shining crowns become the credence of beauty and perfection, there's a womanโ scarred, sweaty, and tired, behind the curtains.
Pageantry has been engraved in the roots of the nation's culture, becoming a platform where women can showcase their charm, elegance, grace, and intelligence. However, not everyone that stands proud, head-held-high while holding the torch of a new light, has chosen such a glamorous path. For some, behind the dazzling light and radiant smiles, lies a hidden truth that often goes unnoticed by the adoring massesโ an untold story of struggles of the unanticipated pageant joiners. Women, who may not fit the stereotypical mould of a beauty queen, but has stood up and taken the challenge to go against the waves of the societal norms of beauty, pageantry, and perfection.
The world of Glimmer and Glitz in pageantry has long been associated with conventionally beautiful, tall, slender, and white skin toned womenโ the westernised standard of beauty, an image of perfection. An idea that was etched in the minds of many, that beauty queens should be unflawed and unparalleled. That is why for little Althea and Kythe, pageantry is a road that will never be travelled, impossible, and out of reach.
However, as decades pass by, beauty along with the standards of pageantry has been slowly redefinedโ the raison dโ รชtre of the Lady Vanguardsโ redifining beauty, has opened up doors for someone like Althea and kytheโ women who seem to be an atypical pageant joiners but has a heart full of compassion and dreams. Thusly, when asked if she ever saw herself joining Lady Vanguards, Althea responded;
โI have once dreamed to be a beauty queen, but I never saw myself joining pageantry especially Lady Vanguards because of my height and also as someone who experienced body dysmorphia, and to be truthfully honest, I was not the first choice but when a window of opportunity was opened and I was asked if I wanted to join, I took it as a challenge upon myself to reach my little selfโs pageant dreams and as an opportunity to forward my cause.โ
The journey to the crown is never easy. Kythe shared her struggles as she went on her journey to the crown.
โTo be honest, it's really a struggle for me, especially as someone who never saw herself as someone that perceived herself as someone that is not qualified to be a beauty queen. I don't know how to do a pasarela, I also struggled to structurally answer questions in a manner that beauty queens answer and of course, as a student with multiple academic responsibilities, I also have to balance my time.โ
As we peel back the layers of glimmer and glam, we uncover a world filled with resilience, determination, and authenticity. Althea and Kythe have dared to challenge the status quo, break stereotypes, and break the mould to redefine the standards of beauty and pageantry. Behind the curtains, they single-handedly battled self-doubt, sacrificed personal time, endured a gruelling schedule, all in pursuit of their glamorous dreams. Let them be a reminder that true greatness lies not in conforming to societal expectations but by being unapologetically true to oneself.
๐๏ธ:Angela Kirtana Candole
