By Latrishka Thomas
It may be her first time setting foot on a pageant stage, but she will still be a force to be reckoned with in this year’s, Miss Plus Size Universe International pageant.
Forty-eight-year-old Eugeney Bailey of Antiguan parentage will be representing the land of sun, sea and sand against 12 other plus size women from around the globe.
Bailey never thought that she would become a pageant girl.
“I was like that’s not my arena. Let me just stay in my own lane,” she shared.
But after being encouraged for a second year to enter the contest, Bailey said it was her 14-year-old son who convinced her to take the leap.
Now, the mother of 6 is excited to represent the plus size women of Antigua and Barbuda.
“I’ve been bullied. I’ve been talked about, and when it comes to plus sized women, society tends to look down on us, tends to ostracise us. A negative connotation comes with being plus sized, and people thinking that their words don’t hurt when they call us fat or big or chunky. Those words hurt.
“And sometimes as plus size women, we tend to laugh it off and be like that doesn’t bother me, and I’m confident in my skin, but some of us on the inside hurt, but we will never show the other person,” Bailey lamented.
She therefore hopes that her winning this pageant will prove to curvaceous women that they too can “achieve [any] goal.”
“And it’s always if you’re plus sized you cannot do this or that. No! I am plus sized and I’m going to do this. And I am going to show other plus size women that it doesn’t matter your size or shape – you can do whatever it is you want to do,” she asserted.
Bailey has been putting her all into preparing for the international pageant. She shared that its nothing like what is seen on TV where “you see all the glitz and glamour, but you never see all the training that they have to go through.”
The pageant consists of four segments – swimsuit, evening wear, talent and interview.
Bailey hopes to captivate the audience with her personality and God-given vocals on the night of June 18 in St. Vincent.
She is not only encouraging residents to support by going to the Antigua Curva Divas Facebook page and casting a vote for her to win the People’s Choice Award.
She is also looking for sponsors.
Persons can vote every day until the night of the competition.
To sponsor Bailey, residents are asked to contact 773-6450 or 720-6417.