The Fundraising Page of Alexis Demo

All through high school and college, I loved competing in beauty pageants. Even though I never won, at the end of the competition, I always felt more confident, because it felt like I was being celebrated for being myself. That's why I decided to enter Miss Massachusetts. Even though I'd never entered a pageant on that level before, I thought it would be a chance to help change the face of beauty pageants, since girls that look like me — full-figured and black — aren't often represented. Even if I didn't win, just being on stage would still be a small way to change the way little girls everywhere see beauty. The application was beyond simple: submit a picture of myself. If they liked my look, they'd contact me. So I sent in my picture. I was kind of nervous about whether they'd pick me, but then they called and told me I had been chosen as one of the 60 girls to compete.