THUNDER BAY - When Kristie Kennedy was up on stage in the Dominican Republic and about to receive her crown, she wasn't entirely sure what was happening.
“To be honest, I was confused because it was in Spanish, so I wasn’t 100 per cent sure what was going on,” Kennedy said. “I got called on stage, I was smiling and such, but I wasn’t sure what I won.”
Kennedy did know that the crown that was placed on her head was a winning crown and when she asked what she won, she learned that she was being crowned Miss Plus Beauty International.
The crown was part of the Miss Beauty International Contest held in the Dominican Republic in April. Kennedy was one of several Canadian competitors to walk away with crowns.
Kennedy, now 23-years-old, earned her first title in 2015 during the Miss Canada Globe competition where she won Miss Northern Ontario Globe. In 2016, she competed in Miss Canada Charity, where she was chosen to represent Canada during the pageant in the Dominican Republic.
The title Kennedy won hasn’t been awarded for the last few years, but there was something about Kennedy that made the judges decide to bring it back.
“I was told that they really liked my confidence and the way I carried myself, so they brought back the title and crowned me Miss Plus Beauty international,” she said. “Most girls would be like, ‘oh really, you see me as plus size’ and maybe be offended. But in all honesty, I was so surprised, I was shocked, I was honoured. I was just really happy.”
Kennedy said growing up she has struggled with body image and self-confidence, but she learned to accept who she is and believes all girls should, too.
“At some point, it’s really about learning what types of things you can change for the better and learning about things that you can’t and learning to accept that,” she said.
And her win shows how far confidence and positivity can take a young woman on the international stage.
“It says a lot for girls who might not be that particular, stereotypical pageant girl that you can still do it, you can still go international, you can still own it and win,” she said.
As with any competition, there was no shortage of nerves for the young beauty contestant, but Kennedy said going into the competition, she tried to focus more on the experience, not the crown.
“You want to represent your country well but at the same time I tried to go in with a positive mind set, I’m going to do my best and not really worry about the outcome and just try to take it in as an experience rather than being super competitive,” she said.
Kennedy will hold the title of Miss Plus Beauty International for the next year. She is not sure if she will be competing in another pageant in the near future, as she is just finishing her degree from Lakehead University. But she remains very thankful for her experience up on stage when she received her crown.
“It was a very rewarding and humbling and I am grateful for the experience,” she said.
