beauty pageant

My name is Rose Yates, I am 20 years old and I’m part of an inclusive, empowering beauty pageant called Miss Mystic Beauty. I was honored to be crowned Miss Mystic Beauty Queen 22/23 last October in my first year of joining. My life away from pageant land isn’t as glamorous; it isn’t as glitzy [...]

This past August, the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association of Canada held an event called Miss Wheelchair Canada, a beauty pageant celebrating women of all cultures and abilities, specifically women who use wheelchairs. The heart and soul behind Miss Wheelchair Canada is Olesya Kornienko, the president of the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association of Canada. Kornienko first [...]

At the Miss Maryland pageant this past week, the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (and chronic illness) community were represented by one of their own: Victoria Graham, a 23-year-old with EDS, who competed with the platform, “But You Don’t Look Sick: Making Invisible Illnesses Visible.” • What is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? • What Are Common Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Symptoms? Graham [...]

There was a time when I seemed healthy and unstoppable. I worked hard, I did not sleep, and I dedicated my life to helping others. My life was a movie. And a glorious one at that. The truth was the façade I showed the world was just that — a façade. An illusion of happiness [...]