Today I am talking to a Hollie Rose! Hollie is an inspirational pageant queen to me, and you will get to learn more about her in this blog post!
What is your title? Hello! My names Hollie Rose and I am the current Miss Diamond Curve Hampshire.
How did you begin your pageant journey? It was not long after I turned 18, I was looking back at all my photos from my first night out and I felt so ashamed of my body and how I looked! I wanted to know how it felt to truly be comfortable in who you are and how you look. I had suffered for so long with how I looked and I constantly felt that I wasn’t good enough. I sat and had breakfast with my mum and she was telling me how she always said how she wished, when I was younger, she had got me into more after school clubs and dance so that maybe I would have more confidence in myself. To which I then said find me a pageant that’s good for plus size women, she did and I entered and I had 6 weeks to prepare! I didn’t know what an appearance was, or what the heck to do but I went on stage in 2017 in my first pageant and I haven’t looked back since!
What have pageants taught you? Pageants have taught me my worth and how powerful it is to be a woman. They’ve also taught me to be a better person, I’ve changed so much from the person I was to the person I am now, and it’s so refreshing to know that each and every day I am growing in the best way possible. Pageants have also taught me sisterhood, I always struggled making friends being a bigger girl, but I now have people in my life that I wouldn’t even know how to cope without and for that I am truly grateful!
What have you been doing throughout your time as Miss Diamond Curve Hampshire? I have been apart of the Diamond system since September 2019 and I’ve been working mainly on my social media. For me I think social media is so important in helping raise awareness! At the same time of competing, I have also been working in my career which has unfortunately limited how much I have been able to get out and about, but this is why I invest as much time as I can into making sure I’m taking part and supporting as many people as I can! But all the while I have been working on my career I can now say that I will be qualified as a medical professional working with the NHS as a 111 call handler and on call nurse!
Who is your pageant inspiration? Who do you look up to? This is a bit of a different one for me, because I chose my younger self as my inspiration to be the role model I always wanted growing up. I never had anyone that I related to, and I think if I had, then maybe I wouldn’t have suffered so badly with my mental health. As a 14 year old I hated who I was and how I looked, which makes me so incredibly sad! And to think there may be girls that feel that way, pushes me to make sure I am that role model and I can be that inspiration to those girls and say that, if I can change who I was and become a strong minded and powerful plus size woman, then they can too. I think it’s really important to be that inspiration you would have wanted as a child.
What is your platform, or do you have a charity that you support? Throughout my whole pageant journey I have supported 2 charities throughout which is my local charity Rowan’s Hospice and the Dog’s Trust. I support many other charities by donation every month as I think all charities deserve donations, but I like to support local with Rowan’s Hospice as they care for and look after so many people in my area including friends families, so it means a lot that if I can support them in any way, then I will.
What has been your favourite appearance? My favourite appearance, although it hasn’t happened within the time I have had my current title, was being able to share my journey with my mum on BBC One’s Inside Out. They followed our journey in 2018 about how it feels to be plus size and competing in pageants! Not only that but they got to film over a years worth of our lives and I got to share that with the one person who means the world, my mum, who made it all the more special.
What is your favourite round to compete in? Interview is my favourite round a thousand percent. I love wearing amazing outfits and giving 100% sass, who doesn’t? But sitting down and being able to share a part of me to the judges to me is the best. It gives them a chance to get to know you before seeing you on stage and I think that’s so important. So many people fear interviews, but for me I have so much in my life I am proud of and it’s amazing to share and show how far I’ve come!
What advice would you give to someone that wants to enter a pageant, but is too scared to? My advice would be to send in your application. Regardless of how you feel just send it because it could be the best thing you ever did. If you had asked me that in 4 years time I would have walked on a stage 3 times in swimwear, learn how to walk in heels properly and actually wear dresses I would have laughed. But here I am, the little sasspot that I’ve learned to love and cherish (although typing this in a dressing gown) I have learned to love the balance of being a tomboy and also loving pretty dresses and heels. They’ve changed my life and who I am for the better and it scares me now to think of what my life would be like without it.
Pageant Diaries with Georgia 