Written by Emily Bland
Long legs, perfect tan, big blonde hair and a perfect smile: In the pageant world, this has long defined beauty. Ableism—prejudice against people with disabilities—is often used to hold individuals back from being considered standardly attractive. Florida’s Miss. Amazing Pageant aims to break that mold and prove that everyone can be beautiful. With the help of Nicole Miller, The Miss Amazing Pageant will have its first ever Florida competition for those with disabilities. Miller, the State Director for the Miss Amazing project here in Florida, defines not only how the pageant celebrates participants talents, but gives them a platform to become vocal and influential citizens in their community. While the pageant culture is also often regarded as being costly, this pageant works to make this event not only affordable, but also impact to the community around it. “The Florida Miss Amazing Pageant for girls and women with disabilities celebrates each participant’s unique abilities and talents,” Miller said.
Open to girls ages five and up, the entry fee for participants is five cans of food—alleviating any socioeconomic barriers preventing people from entering. Once the cans are collected, the six division winners donate the money to their local homeless shelter or food pantry. “Our hope is to inspire the Miss Amazing queens and princesses with this community service project to put their talents to work and give back in their own way,” Miller said. Although the Miss. Amazing Pageant is a nationwide event, prior to Millers involvement, Florida had never held its own competition. After Miller saw a post about the Miss Amazing pageant from the campaign ‘Everyone Matters’—a global inclusiveness campaign, she researched the pageant and eventually became the State Director for Florida.
Along with bringing the competition to Florida, Miller’s responsibilities range across the entire program focusing on ensuring a positive experience for its contestants. Miller’s job as State director requires approximately 6-8 months of planning, recruiting volunteers and participants and raising at least $25,000. They also work closely with the six queens as they raise funds to attend the Miss Amazing pageant in Omaha. Similar to the traditional pageant, the contest involves various categories for participants to compete in before the crowning at the end of the night. The areas of participation include interview, introduction, eveningwear, with an optional talent showcase. The Junior League of Tallahassee donated dresses for the event, and while one representative of each age division is selected as queen, every participant is crowned as a princess.
As the goal of the Miss. Amazing pageant and programs, Miller hopes to encourage those with disabilities in order to affect their self-esteem in the future. “We believe that all people should be given the opportunity to reach their full potential,” Miller said. “Through the structure of the Miss Amazing pageant and other Miss Amazing programs, we hope to give girls and women with disabilities that opportunity. In an atmosphere built around encouragement and support, we believe the Miss Amazing pageant can bring the community together and encourage further inclusion for individuals with special needs.”
In order to get involved in the pageant, Miller says they are still looking for aid in nearly every aspect of the competition. Those interested can email her at nicolemiller@missamazingpageant.com.
Located at the Downtown Community Church, the cost to get through the door is a donation for other Miss Amazing projects. “These donations will offer a life-changing experience to young ladies with special needs in our community, and will ultimately circulate back to community organizations,” Miller said.
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