UFV alumna says that pageants are more than beauty competitions
Sandy Sekhon, a UFV alumna who graduated in 2015 with a BBA, won the Miss World B.C. pageant in July and competed in the Miss World Canada pageant in November. The Cascade got a chance to talk to Sekhon about her experience in the pageant, which she described as much more than just a beauty competition.
Miss B.C. World was your first pageant; what inspired you to enter this competition?
Growing up I always had an interest in modelling, but I never really looked into pageants because I was always focused on so many other things that were happening in my life. Earlier this year, a Facebook ad showed up in my feed, and I thought that maybe the time was right to sign up and see what it was all about. I ended up winning, so that was a really nice surprise. I was against only 10 other competitors in the Miss World B.C. pageant, with no audience, so it was very different from what it was pre-pandemic.
What does competing in a pageant entail?
They all look a little different. For the provincials we had an interview portion where they could ask you about any issue related to world affairs, politics, or your platform. There were also swimsuit and evening gown portions — this is where you walk on stage and show off your personality to the judges. There was no talent portion at provincials this year because they wanted to keep it as safe as they could. We were also taught an opening dance for all the competitors to perform as a team in front of the judges.
The nationals were a bit more extensive. There was the normal swimsuit and evening gown portions, and for the interviews they introduced something new to Miss World Canada this year called a head-to-head challenge. For this, the judges split you off into six groups and you talk about your platform and other global issues. The judges decide who did best in that group, and the winners of each group were then pinned against one another. There was also a fitness test that went along with the swimsuit section where we did push-ups, burpees, and plank challenges. There was also a talent portion at nationals; I performed bhangra. I hadn’t properly danced bhangra since I left UFV in 2015, but I was happy to be able to represent my culture on that stage.
What was the platform you were running under?
My platform was gender equity and equal rights for young girls. That came from a personal place, where growing up in South Asian culture, women are not really encouraged to go after their dreams. We’re typically told to focus on marriage, and we grow up hearing that all these dreams and goals can be accomplished after marriage at your in-laws’ home. My family has been in Canada many years now. So many things have changed for me, and their thinking has obviously changed as they’ve adapted to the culture here. But I still had to deal with that growing up, and I know a lot of young girls are still struggling with that today.
I feel like the pageant world has a bad reputation, as pageants tend to favour typically beautiful, able-bodied, skinny, wealthy, cisgender white women. Can you speak a little bit about this, being a woman of colour who has competed in pageants. How would you maybe defend this competition to those who think they are inherently anti-feminist, and just generally not okay?
There is more than just the beauty portion of the pageant — for the interview portion you have to be intelligent and knowledgeable about world and current events. The whole week at nationals we were judged on our behaviour and how we work under pressure and handle tight schedules. I feel like there are so many life skills you learn competing in pageants, and it’s not just about the beauty part of it that is commonly what pageants are known for.
I would like to see more representation in pageants; I agree that might be lacking. Personally, being a woman of colour, I feel like the way I was raised I wasn’t really encouraged to participate in these kinds of events. So, I feel like if girls like me also had that encouragement from our culture and society maybe we would see more of that representation.
Will you go on to compete in more pageants?
I think time will tell. Pageants are very demanding in terms of time and finances. I think while working full-time as a marketing specialist and having a part-time photography business it was a lot, and I’m glad to just have that experience. I will continue to work on my platform; I was always passionate about it in my everyday life, but now, after speaking about it more openly and having connected with other people, it has encouraged and motivated me to do more. So, I will continue to work on my platform, but for the pageants, we’ll see where I am a year from now.
What was your biggest lesson learned at provincials and nationals? What’s your biggest takeaway from all of this?
The biggest thing would be that I don’t know why I always held myself back. Just seeing the support that I got and how happy everyone was for me, regardless of the fears that I had, it all worked out in the end, and that was a life-changing experience. Pageants are more than just beauty. So much more goes into it and you learn a lot — how to be on stage, how to talk to an audience, how to talk to each other, and you also form life-long friendships with other competitors. The biggest thing I learned was that you’ll never regret going after something that makes you happy.
What advice would you share to people who want to compete in pageants, or even people who feel like they’re trapped in family or cultural expectations and want to do something similar to this?
Definitely stand up for yourself and speak up. That change is on the other side of speaking up. You’re the one who is going to live through the decisions you make, so make the ones that will make you happy. At the end of the day, your loved ones just want you to be happy too, and they have your best interests in mind.
You can follow Sandy Sekhon on her Instagram to keep up with her platform and upcoming events.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Sandy Sekhon. (Captured by Sandy)
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
