Participating in a pageant goes beyond posing in bikinis and performing a catwalk in front of judges, according to a Richmond resident.
It’s also a way to build confidence and better understand oneself, said Richmond-born Joy Chen.
Chen, 22, was one of eight finalists participating in this year’s Miss Chinese Vancouver Pageant (MCVP), held at River Rock Casino Theatre on Dec. 3.
The MCVP, hosted by Fairchild Television, began in 1995 and is an annual charity event. Proceeds from this year’s competition benefitted the Alzheimer Society of BC.
Chen described the pageant as an “intense” competition with full-day training four days a week, which included dancing, posing, catwalking and public speaking that lasted three months before the final competition.
There’s not much of a break in the rest of the time either, as contestants had to attend pageant-related events.
“It’s more than just to walk and look pretty,” said Chen.
“Coming out of the pageant I learned a lot on how to be on camera, how to talk to other people, present myself better and become more confident overall.”
She added the competition helped her “develop more as a person.”
“Even though I did not win anything, I feel like I definitely didn’t lose because I gave it my all and I did this for myself, and I believed in myself to do it.”
Initially, Chen did not consider herself “pageant material” as she considered herself a “shy and not confident” person.
“I never thought I’d be a part of the Chinese Vancouver pageant … because it just seemed like a far reach for me,” said Chen.
However, her mind changed after watching her brother become more confident after participating in a similar Fairchild event for youths. It gave her the push she needed.
“Because I knew how unconfident I was in myself, I had a hard time deciding whether to apply, but I thought it (was) what I needed to challenge myself, so I went for it.”
As competitive as some may be during contests, Chen said that was far from what happened at the MCVP.
“We expected each other to be very competitive, but that wasn’t the case at all,” she said.
“My favourite part of the (pageant) was meeting the girls. We were always laughing and hugging and going through it made us closer too so that final stage and departure was super difficult.”
Now that the pageant is over, Chen plans to focus on finishing her final semester as a Communications major at Simon Fraser University and continue working as a Pilates trainer.
The one-time pageant experience is enough, she told the Richmond News.
“I came for the challenge, and I did it."
