Queen Saturday brings us the curvy International queens of Miss International Curve, in which I had the pleasure of being a judge for! Miss International Curve was held in Maidstone for its third year and crowned three new winners to join the ever growing family of crowns!
We got to speak to the new winners, fresh from the runway!
Mrs- Kimberley
Well done on winning the Mrs title! You won the England heat to get to the finals, tell us about that journey?
After winning the title to compete for England in December last year , I set about making as many appearances as possible in my local community , fundraisers , online campaigns and attending other pageant system finals to support other queens and also catch some tips! I knew early on what I wanted to do with my outfits especially my international wear as I felt I hadn’t really seen it done on stage . I really wanted to go all out and push myself this year, and it paid off ! I practiced walking and posing pretty much everywhere even getting a few strange looks from my neighbours watching me practice in my kitchen !
Well practice makes perfect! Yes I haven’t seen a pearly king national wear! How did it feel when your name was called as a winner? Any highlights apart from of course being crowned!
I was so overwhelmed when my name was called. It hit me so hard that all my hard work had paid off and to have my close family and friends there to cheer me on was everything to me . I ugly cried so bad ! My highlights from the day were the rest of the wonderful girls competing - the camaraderie , the friendships how everyone generally cared and helped each other will stay with me always . For me ,this is what pageantry is all about . Also, seeing people’s faces when my confetti cannon went off was a picture!
The confetti cannon was priceless to see the judge next to me jump out his seat! With your reign, will you be supporting any charities or have a platform you promote?
The charity that I support is the Uk Sepsis trust . This means a lot to me as I sadly lost my stepfather to this last year . In the Uk, 52,000 people lose their lives to sepsis every year, yet with early diagnosis this is easily treatable. The Uk sepsis trust raises public awareness,educate health professionals and support those affected by sepsis.
An amazing charity to support and something that happens a lot! What else will you be doing in your titleholder year?
I will be making lots of appearances at other pageant systems to support all the lovely ladies competing . I will also be looking to hold an event in the summer to raise funds between my chosen charity the Uk Sepsis trust and the chosen charity of the Miss International Curve pageant , SANE . I am also hoping to help in my local community with the following charities : Angels ADHD & Autism support,again a charity close to my heart as my eldest son has ADHD & Anxiety , Feed up warm up , The Garden house hospice who help and support patients and their families with palliative end of life care and CALM , campaign against living miserably which is a movement for suicide prevention , the single biggest killer in men under 45. I lost my father to suicide when I was 18 and I know how difficult it is for the friends and family left behind.
Lastly, what advice could you give to pageant girls looking to get back up on stage or newcomers?
Remember to always remain true to yourself - be unapologetically YOU . I remember starting out I had zero confidence and felt lost as to who I was as a person , pageants really did change my life - you meet so many inspiring beautiful women - you will certainly make friends for life , and these individuals helped me grow as a person and believe in myself . Once you learn to love yourself the world is yours .
Laura- Ms
Welcome Laura, so of course we all got to watch you swoop up all those awards before the crown, tell us how you prepared for the finals?
I entered Miss International Curve last October, the day after the 2018 finals so it was a full year of preparation for me! The first thing I did was find local events to attend, and really think about which appearances to make. I wanted a good balance between my personal causes and the community, and supporting pageantry. I knew what I wanted my traditional wear to be from the off, taking inspiration from an Alexander McQueen piece that I loved. Also rhinestones, lots of gem tac and rhinestones! I really put everything into my outfits this year and I loved every single one of them.
I hired a local studio to do a full dress rehearsal and practice, practice, practice. I had a different routine for every round worked out to showcase my outfits as best I could. I also looked at typical pageant questions online to practice. Interview is what I get most nervous about so I knew I had to do some preparation in order to keep my cool and articulate what I wanted to say.
And the hard work paid off! We all love pageant days, what was the best part for you, and of course how did that winning moment feel?!
Honestly I think I'm still in shock even now. It was so surreal, I was physically shaking. Kerrie, Ms International Curve 2018/2019 had to hold on to me, I was shaking so much. It was a real mix of emotions, to know my hard work had paid off was the best feeling ever! I think rehearsals was a big highlight for me, the love shown in claps and cheers for each other is amazing. The sisterhood, the support and the smiles just picks everyone up.
Also, the moment before we all went on stage for opening round was electric. In that moment we were all there for each other, calming nerves, fixing dress straps and hems. Excited, nervous and proud of what we were about to do.
The sisterhood is real! Being a titleholder, what charity or platform do you support?
I support various Cancer charities, the main one being Cancer Research UK. I raised £750 for Cancer Research UK during my time as Ms Scotland Curve 2019 and campaigned/collected for other Cancer charities such as Hug In A Bag and Macmillan. As my mam is currently battling stage 3 breast cancer, these are charities close to my heart.
My platform is Invisible Disability Awareness, suffering from an invisible disability myself this is something I'm very passionate about. There is still not enough awareness out there surrounding invisible disabilities, how they affect people and practicing mindfulness towards people who "look well." For example, there is still a stigma out there around disabled toilets and people who "look well" using them.
Very important platform. What else do you have planned for the rest of your international year?
I would like to continue supporting various cancer charities, already I have planned to donate items to a chemotherapy group who have helped my mam. As I'm from the North East of England, I plan on incorporating some of my work into the area when I go back there to visit family.I plan to continue collecting donations and run the Pretty Muddy 5k Race for Life in 2020.I created an invisible disability awareness show reel during the lead up to The Miss International Curve finals, with Miss British Beauty Curve and Miss International Curve Queens and contestants. I'd now like to create a national invisible disability show reel with contestants and Queens from different pageant systems across the country. I would love to show that everyone of all abilities are firstly accepted and welcomed, but also able to do whatever we put our minds to.
With the show reel complete, I'd like to hold an invisible disability awareness event within the pageant industry, hopefully with the support of various charities and key speakers. I think this would go hand in hand with Miss International Curve chosen mental health charity, SANE so I would like 50% of the funds raised from the event to go towards SANE.
I'd also really like to push Miss International Curve, and sister pageant Miss British Beauty Curve within the pageant industry by attending and networking at lots of different pageant systems. Both systems have given me confidence, self belief, life skills and some of the best friends I could ask for. I am extremely passionate about MIC and MBBC so I want to pay it forward and promote, promote, promote.
Very exciting plans! What advice could you give to potential pageant queens?
Don't let anything or anyone hold you back! That includes yourself. Usually we are our biggest critics, and we need to learn to be kinder to ourselves and love ourselves more.
You can do it!
Give it everything you have, and most importantly have fun. The people you will meet, the friends you will make, and the growth and confidence you will gain is unbelievable. Trust me!
Miss- Alisha
Welcome Alisha! Now you started this year as a finalist for MBBC and placed first runner up, and you got right back on the pageant saddle and gained the England title to compete in the finals, how did you prepare?
Practice is key on how I prepared. I watched back footage from Miss British Beauty Curve where I competed. I watched all my walks, eye contact, stage presence and studied how I could improve them. Also, I researched previous contestants and queens from all different systems outfits to gage and idea especially for traditional wear.
All that research worked! How did you feel about the whole day, and of course the icing on the cake of being crowned?
When my name was called, I was overwhelmed with emotions. As you can see from the footage I was crying. It felt my hard work was recognised, all the hours of hard work I put was shown. My highlight of the day involved Kim my sister queen. She was so nervous and being that support for her as fellow England girls. I said backstage when we were getting ready “When you have the crown on your head I’m going to say “I told you so” which I got to do.
Sister queens for the whole year now! Being a pageant queen, what is your platform?
My platform is all about combating online bullying and campaigning about mental health. Nowadays, it’s so easy to pass a comment about someone through social media to the click of a button where it never used to be able to. Also, as part of my platform I want to show pageantry can be affordable and done on a budge. There’s a perception that pageantry costs 1000’s of pounds where it doesn’t need to be. You can still get that crown regardless of how much you’ve spent.
Yes, budgets help and being creative with past outfits too! What do you have planned for your winning year?
I have a lot planned for my year. From attending other pageants, supporting my local community & setting up my own events. Now it’s all in the pipeline just getting my diary out being organised and prepared. But there is going to be some big things coming I’m on,I’m a woman of my word.
Finally, what advice could you give to aspiring pageant girls?
My advice would be to apply. It will be the best thing you’ve ever done you gain friends for life, confidence that you never knew that you had. The day its self is such a fun day everyone helps each other, and everyone is supportive. Especially being a curve girl, you are just an inspiration from stepping out on the stage. As a curve girl, use that to your best advantage and step out on the platform and step out on the stage.
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