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SALT LAKE CITY — A small group of Utah women and girls with disabilities will get their chance to shine this weekend in the 2023 national Miss Amazing pageant, which is designed to boost confidence for beauty queens with disabilities.
Miss Amazing's national competition will take place from July 29 to Aug. 1 in Chicago, and the Utah queens will compete with an interview, an evening gown display and a passion presentation.
Sharing a passion
The passion presentation is one of the most anticipated events, according to Barbara Clegg, a mother of one of the competitors. In their presentations, each participant doesn't just sing, dance or show off a physical talent; they also can discuss issues they care about.
Miranda Clegg, a 24-year-old contestant from Utah, will use her time during her passion presentation to discuss the importance of inclusion among peers.
"My goal is to educate people in our community about people with disabilities or special needs, and it's OK to be more inclusive and to be our friends — and that we're not a bad thing," she said.
The topic is especially important to her, as many people she may interact with will treat her differently — not just because she has a disability, but because she has a disability that's not immediately apparent. Many people around her give her or those she knows "dirty looks" or "strange looks," she said.
"I think it's really important for people like me to be included and for people to learn how to be kind and accepting and to know that it's OK to be our friend," Miranda Clegg said.
Richelle Gough, an adult competing in the pageant's oldest age division, added that the passion presentations are one of her favorite parts of the competition. Gough will give a presentation about her grandmother and how she aims to continue her legacy of mentoring and including others the way her grandmother did.
"We get to go on stage and share that (our passions), and it's actually good for us — because individuals with autism might be able to go on stage and do things that they wouldn't be able to do like one-on-one, and we can share our talents and our abilities," Gough said.
Stepping out of her comfort zone
For the third year in a row, Miranda Clegg will go to Chicago to compete nationally in the pageant. Gough and fellow competitors Katy Christensen, Peyton Smith, Taisha Robison, Liduvina Burgoin and Sara Wood will join her, with each girl competing in her own separate age division.
The participants qualified to move to the national level after they passed the state competitions held in Salt Lake City. If they win the national competition in their division, each will get a new title recognition, a crown and a sash but likely won't move on to international levels, according to Barbara Clegg. Those who do win, she said, will go to next year's competition and crown their successor.
Between competitions and interviews, the girls and young adults will also be able to go to different gatherings and meet other girls their age around the country.
"I'm excited to go to the parties and meet other girls like me," Gough said.
For Wood, a 31-year-old competing in the Senior Miss division, the competition has given her some anxieties but has already proven helpful in helping her step outside her comfort zone, especially in meeting new people, she said.
"I've just noticed it's been helping; I don't know how it's been helping, but it's been helping pretty well — meeting new people and stuff, and exploring new places and coming here," Wood said.
Wood also noted that she's already had a wonderful time at the competition. Having never been outside of Utah before, the pageant has provided her with a great opportunity to see other places, she said.
"She usually isn't very social. She gets anxiety when she's out and about. … Having people cheer her on for what she's doing, that's really boosted her confidence," said Kylee Nancino, Wood's group home manager.
Miranda Clegg agreed, adding that the competition has "given me confidence to get out of my community and out of my comfort zone to talk to a group of people, which I get really nervous about sometimes."
Examples of friendship
The competition can prove key for the girls to receive some social interaction outside their school and other parts of their lives, Barbara Clegg added, noting that many girls with disabilities are especially isolated. In her daughter's case, even though Miranda Clegg doesn't have a wheelchair, she says many will still isolate themselves from her.
"Hopefully, one day, her peers will understand that it's OK to befriend somebody with a disability," Barbara Clegg said.
Trena Newton, the grandmother of preteen competitor Taisha Robison, agreed, noting that these types of competitors shed light on how special each young woman was, regardless of whether they had disabilities or were able-bodied.
"I think this pageant is great in representation and getting this out there and getting (the girls) noticed on a different level," Newton said.
Gough agreed, adding that she hopes the competition can expand to include more competitions in Utah, which would help more locally based women feel loved and have a chance to share their talents.
Programs like the Miss Amazing Pageant are "an absolute must," Barbara Clegg said, noting how she hopes that Utahns will "embrace it."
"My hope is that it grows and then people will ... find their passion for maybe volunteering or helping or just meeting these wonderful, amazing, exquisite women and learning more about who they are and how to just be around them," she said. "Because once you learn that there's really no difference between you and them, they're actually really amazing people to be around."
Correction: An earlier version misspelled Kylee Nancino's first name as Kylie.
