Pageant winner proves beauty more than skin deep

BY NADINE ARMSTRONG

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

She has beauty and brains, but best of all, this local girl has spunk. At the tender age of 14 and still in braces, Iona MacLeod has proven modern pageantry is about beauty from the inside out.

It's that winning attitude and a lot of hard work that earned MacLeod the Miss Teen Nova Scotia title and a shot at the Miss Teen Canada crown, a preliminary to the Miss Teen World Pageant.

Being up against a dozen of her peers during the May 31 competition in Halifax didn't deter this once shy, first-time contender. “It's about being proud of who you are,” she said of the pageant’s motto “Be your own kind of beautiful”. “It doesn't matter if you don't have blond hair or the most athletic figure; that’s just a stereotype. It's not the prettiest girl that wins, it's the one who is most well-rounded.”

But there was no one more surprised than her when the final name was called. “I was just kind of shocked. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that's my name they just called'.”

Focus on academics, athletics and the arts

The Miss Teen pageant focuses on excellence in academics, athletics, arts and social activism, and gives girls like MacLeod an opportunity to be recognized for who they are from the inside out.

With an active lifestyle that includes soccer and skiing, this King’s-Edgehill student has a soft side too when she puts brush to canvas to create beautiful oil landscapes.

But her real passion is directed toward environmental and social equality issues. MacLeod represented her school recently at a Global Awareness Youth conference she spearheaded, Sustain our School (SOS), which works to reduce the school's carbon footprint.

Her personal interest in “Malawi Girls On The Move,” a project that helped young Malawian women achieve self-sufficiency through education, inspired her platform address on pageant night. “I just believe it is so unfair for those girls living in Malawi or anywhere to be held back, and education is the one thing that will provide them the means to support themselves,” she says.

It's a cause that blends well with the pageant’s charity of choice, “Feed the Children” (FTC). Each contestant for Miss Teen Canada-World must raise up to $400 for Feed the Children and the pageant winner will have an opportunity to volunteer at various international FTC sites.

MacLeod says winning the next round could be her launching pad for social justice. “It would give me a first-hand view of world issues. I want to get in and do what I can to help.”

High heels and public speaking still a challenge

In the meantime, there are high heels, dancing and public speaking to master. “I have to spend a lot of time walking up and down the hallways in heels so I don't fall; a bathing suit in heels is tough,” she said. Speaking in front of the mirror has become a regular pastime.

Being on stage and in the spotlight is well outside her usual comfort zone, she said. “It has really taught me to be comfortable with myself. You really have to be confident to do this.”

Mom Kari is proud to see her daughter take on this challenge. “What I'm happiest with was seeing her come out and speaking with confidence. That left a lasting impression on me,” she said. “Her confidence has increased ten-fold through this experience.”

But then her daughter has always had an innovative and adventurous side to her. “Iona is very goal-oriented and can accomplish anything she sets her mind to.”

Mrs. MacLeod is also pleased with the direction pageantry has taken in recent years. “Pageants are much more appropriate to the world we are living in now; they have a social conscience.”

She adds the pageant gives young women a much stronger voice in their community. “It brings together girls who are like-minded and want to make a difference. People don't necessarily listen to someone who is 14 years old. This gives them a platform.”

In the limelight on a local level

The role of Miss Teen Nova Scotia puts MacLeod in the limelight on a local level as well. She participated recently in Relay for Life in Windsor and has signed up to paddle at the next Pumpkin Regatta. “I'm really enjoying getting out and meeting people, being part of the community,” she said. “This has given me so many opportunities to make a difference.”

MacLeod will travel to Toronto next month for the Miss Teen Canada-World competition and is thrilled to share the set of Canadian Idol for a night.

Leading up to the competition, she and the other 60 contestants have personal blog sites, where they write about the experience on a daily basis and also collect fans that will go toward the final score on pageant night.

The trip to Toronto will also be her first extended leave from home. “I'll finally get a taste of independence,” she says.

With cameras rolling all the while. “It's going to be really intense. They film everything; no more sweatpants for me for a while.”

To become a blog fan and help MacLeod rack up points for pageant night, go to http://ionamacleod.onsugar.com.

For information about the Miss Teen Canada-World Pageant, go to www.missteencanadaworld.com.