A Teen Queen: Janae' Littlejohn

      Watch out world Janae' is taking over the nation's capital. Although Miss Littlejohn isn't title anymore she is still a queen. At the tender age of about 16 she was competing for a national title all while in high school and dealing with the daily struggles of being a teen. Don't let the baby face fool you, this young lady is wise beyond her years and will give a lot of people a run for their money. Now in college, she is taking what she has learned from her mother, mentor and pageant family and is applying that to become a young woman and is still advocating for her platform. Janae' is such a fun, bubbly young lady and I am glad I got the pleasure of meeting her and going to nationals with her in 2011.


1. What is your current title?
My current title is College Student. I'm no longer competing in pageantry and am not a reigning queen.

2. How did you feel when you were crowned?
So amazing, blessed, joyful, like hard work paid off, like I was stepping into my destiny.

3. What does being former Miss Plus America Teen Ambassador 2011 mean to you?
Being the former Miss Plus America Teen Ambassador 2011 (First African-American) feels honestly like a dream come true. I never thought that being crowned that amazing honor and title would happen to me. It is hard to explain what it means; it meant everything.

4. Do you have a platform or charity?
My platform was, and still is even after the pageant, "Promoting Positive Self-Esteem Within Teenage Girls" and Re-Defining SWAG as positive Self-Worth-Attitude-Goals.

5. How has being a title holder helped your charity/platform?
Being a reigning and even former national queen has given me such a bigger audience to tell my story and promote my cause. People won't always listen to Janae', but the nation listened to Miss Plus America Teen Ambassador.

6. What do you hope to gain by your participation in pageants?
I honestly didn't know what to expect by participating and competing in pageantry. Even more than that, I didn't know what people would think of me after competing and ,thankfully, winning. I think everyone in some way or another has their own perception and opinion about pageantry and pageant queens. Like a lot of others, I expected the side eyes from competitors, stepping on my dress on "accident" or just the cattiness that comes with, or that I expected to come with not only Miss Plus America, but pageantry in general. But, the amazing thing about MPA is the sisterhood and networks that I gained in competing. Being able to call one of my pageant sisters on the phone, hanging out with national queens when I'm traveling, linking up with other business connections and opportunities outside of the pageant is really what made this experience one of the best. And even though I didn't hope for it, I gained it.

7. Is you family/partner supportive through your journey?
My mother, Pamela Palmer, was definitely supportive. Even though, in the beginning, I feel she was a little against me participating in pageantry, she still let me do me. By that I mean, she allowed me to reach for a dream and because of her support, I am where I am. Whether that's driving over 10 hours to get to the pageant, spending her last to buy my pageant dress or just telling me to keep pushing on. Her support definitely had a big impact on my success and I'm thankful for it.

8. How do you feel about title holders who pose nude, semi-nude?
I think that's a personal decision. I mean really, what's wrong with clothes? I'm a national advocate for self-esteem and self-respect so just because of what I believe, I wouldn't feel comfortable. I'm a firm believer that a woman's value is more than her body, I think it's about what you bring to the table as a woman and what your mind has to offer. Beauty is way more than skin and outside appearance so I question if the nude or semi-nude shots are a statement that people who believe the same I do, deem appropriate.

9. What titles have you held?
I've only competed in one pageant. Of course that was the lovely Miss Plus America in 2011. My title was Miss Plus America Teen Ambassador and I was the first African-American to hold that title.

10. Has competing in pageants helped you grow as a person? as a woman? mother? how so? Competing has definitely improved me as a person. I've had a real chance to polish and experience advocacy on a personal level. Being involved in the pageant and being able to spread my platform was a test. Along the way, I found some things out about myself, I was able to help others and I think this was one of the major steps I took towards womanhood and becoming my own person.

11. Do you watch "Toddlers and Tiaras"? How do you feel about children in pageants?
I personally don't watch them. To be honest, I think they give pageantry a bad name. They are over-dramatic and full of little girls running around in makeup and I refuse to participate and condone either one and I don't think it's appropriate for it to even be a show. Little girls, especially toddlers, should be playing with Barbies not trying to be Barbies.

12. How do you feel about "pageant hopping", going from state to state within the same pageant system to compete?
I think if you want it, go get it. My mentor had an experience like that and because of her competing or "running at large" through a different state that didn't have a state pageant, she went on to nationals and was a national queen in 2010. I think it depends on the person. I don't know if I would be the one to do it. But, you never know.

13. What made you compete in your first pageant?
I saw the 2010 Miss Plus America, E Renee Brandon, at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus and the rest is history. Honestly. Well, I saw her crown first, then I saw her. I literally walked up to her, asked how I could get involved, went home, got registered and was Miss Franklin County Ohio Teen Ambassador 2011 that night.

14. How long have you been competing?
I have only competed in Miss Plus America so a total of 2 months time between my state and national pageant in 2011.

15. What was your first title?
My first and only title was Miss Plus America Teen Ambassador 2011.

16. How was it competing in pageants while in school?
Competing while in high school, a junior at that, was honestly a little bit of a challenge. Not just because of the pageant, but because of everything else that I was involved in. Before the pageant, during and after I was involved in numerous things. During my junior year alone, I was President of my student body, dramatically involved in my school's National Honors Society, President of Upward Bound at Ohio Wesleyan University, taking AP and Honors classes and not to mention I was upholding two jobs. Needless to say, there were sleepless nights, stressful times and moments where it almost was too much. But, I pulled through and just because of who I am, I gave it everything that I had. With me giving everything then, there was so much more opportunity that I was able to take advantage of after my reign and still now. It was a lot as a junior, but I made it work and because of my dedication I was pretty much forced to build better time management skills, learn when to say no and all in all grow not only as a student, pageant queen or employee but as a person.

17. Do you still compete in pageants?
I'm currently not considering competing any time soon. I'm tackling a new obstacle and experience called college. There have been countless people that have tried to push me in going back to compete for Miss Plus America Elite, but I have yet to publicly or even privately announced any future plans for competing again.






18. Now that you're in college how as being a title holder helped you?

It has helped me so much. I'm a Freshman now at American University in DC on a full ride scholarship and in my acceptance letter was an applause from the University for being crowned the first African-American MPATA. Being a former pageant queen spoke volumes to the admission committee and has opened up doors for me in DC. Being that I'm only at the beginning of my college career, it's hard to say what other ways being a former pageant queen will benefit my education and my university. But, only time and God will tell, I'm just enjoying the ride.