It was all braces, bouquets and bows for the 62nd annual Miss Greenbelt Pageant at the Greenbelt Volunteer Fire Department on Sunday, September 4. Girls in brightly colored, sequined dresses filed in and out of the holding room to the emcee’s cues. Anxious contestants peered at the show from the slit between the accordion doors. The girls were introduced by age group in their evening wear. The host announced each contestant’s accomplishments as they paced and posed around the stage before answering a question written by their peers. Topics varied from community involvement, definitions of “true beauty” and driving age.
“Every year we think ‘What else can we do to help these girls prepare for the future?’” said this year’s pageant director, Devin Fendlay, who was Junior Miss Greenbelt in 2005. She stressed that the competition is not a beauty pageant. The judges score on participation, modeling, a private interview with the panel and an onstage question. The organization defines modeling as confidence exhibited during the theme-wear and evening-wear portions of the competition, not appearance. The pageant lowered the weight of modeling scores this year.
Julia Sharapi, Cynthia Quinton and Giulia Blough were given the 2016 titles of Miss Greenbelt, Junior Miss Greenbelt and Little Miss Greenbelt. The winners received scholarships donated by pageant alumni and local vendors. After the competition, the contestants and their families and friends rushed off to the American Legion for an evening of dinner and dancing. Frances Fendlay, mother of the director and this year’s treasurer, said the reception gives “everybody the chance to unwind and get past the competition factor and celebrate all the contestants. As soon as the DJ starts playing, [the girls] are laughing and by the end of the night it’s like they never competed.”
Miss Greenbelt Julia Sharapi looked surprised and elated as she knelt down to receive the glittering Miss Greenbelt crown from last year’s winner. Julia is 15 years old and a student at Eleanor Roosevelt High School. This was her first time participating in a pageant. She cites her experience in public speaking in debate team and JROTC for her win. During the onstage question round, Julia answered a question about the importance of mental health in society today. She quoted statistics about the prevalence of mental health disorders and said, “we have to remove the stigma so that people can get help.” Julia is supporting the Jim Collins Foundation which funds gender-affirming surgeries, according to the website. When asked what she would like to tell future contestants, Julia said, “Have fun. It’s such a great program. Be confident in yourself. You’re probably doing great.”
Junior Miss Greenbelt It was an emotional moment for Cynthia Quinton as she accepted the title of Junior Miss Greenbelt. She has participated in the pageant for years and was named Little Miss Greenbelt in 2013. Cynthia is 11 years old and is homeschooled. She has danced for seven years and cheered for three. Cynthia answered a question about social media by saying that it has positive and negative effects. “Many people use social media to stay in touch with loved ones. But the younger generation is endangering themselves by not thinking of the consequences and meeting people off of social media,” she said. Cynthia would like to remind contestants to “bring Tide with you at all times, smile a lot and just have fun.”
Little Miss Greenbelt The confident and eloquent Giulia Blough is nine years old and attends Greenbelt Elementary. This is her second time competing in the pageant. She is on a dance team that performs at NBA and WNBA games. When asked what she would do with a million dollars, Giulia said she’d give a portion to the homeless, go on an educational vacation and save the rest for more “educational purposes.” Giulia would like to tell next year’s contestants, “If you work really hard, eventually you’ll win.”
Leigh McDonald is a graduate student in journalism at University of Maryland