1.
. What is your current title?
My current title is Ms. Texas Woman American Elegance 2013
2. How did you feel when you were crowned?
There wasn’t a state pageant in Texas for this system at the time I entered so I actually received my crown and sash in the mail however the excitement was still there! I took pictures and sent them to my family, friends and my pageant coach. Whenever I touch a new crown I feel not only excited but renewed and optimistic because to me it represents the beginning of a new journey! Next year however there will be a state pageant and I will get the pleasure of crowning another beautiful queen. I have experienced that moment before of crowning someone and I prefer that anyway better to give than to receive right!
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3. What does being Ms. Texas Woman American Elegance 2013 mean to you?
I am so happy to be a part of such an amazing system that has been around for 15 years. Our pink and purple gemstones represent our commitment to bringing awareness to Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence. My title is a way for me to not only bring awareness to these two important issues but also a way to bring much needed attention to body image issues our young ladies experience. Our system has a division for all ladies no matter the size, age, or marital status.
4.
. Do you have a platform or charity?
My platform is stopping the cycle of domestic violence: preventing victims from creating victims. I am a child of an abusive relationship and I feel that the children of these relationships are often left with issues that can affect the rest of their lives. They are also left to feel blame or that their destiny is written and they are setup to fail in life. I want to empower them to know they are not their parents and your beginning in no way predetermines your future. I work with three charities to encompass what I consider a plan to combat domestic violence which is prevention/education, support and of course awareness. The three that I support and work with are the National Domestic Violence Hotline where I volunteer on the hotline taking calls from survivors, victims, abusers and concerned family and friends. I also volunteer with Hope Alliance as a Sexual Assault Advocate. I serve as the voice of the victim at the hospital during the SANE exam. And last but definitely not least I volunteer with a wonderful organization called GENAustin. They provide workshops and events to help empower young ladies topics include healthy relationships, bullying and body image.
5.
. How has being a title holder helped your charity/platform?
The job of a title holder is to be a spokesperson for not only your system but your community and your platform/charity as well and I take that job very seriously. Most recently I lead an effort with my Texas Plus America Pageant sisters to raise funds to provide 10 scholarships for girls to attend GENAustin’s annual We Are Girls Day conference in November. We also partnered with Soma Intimates to collect over 100 bras for domestic violence victims in shelters this past Valentine’s Day. The work I do that is most important is by being the change we want to see. Because of my pageantry I am able to talk to all kinds of people and I am often told that I have changed their views on not only domestic violence, the plus size community, as well as pageantry in general. This is probably of greater value to the organizations I work with.
6.
What do you hope to gain by your participation
in pageants?
My involvement with pageantry is more about a
way for me to give back. I truly do want to save the world! I have a theory
that if every person gave back to their community and made it their mission to
make a difference the world would be saved by now! Pageantry however does offer
me access and opportunity to experience things that I definitely wouldn’t have
been able to experience without it. I have had the pleasure of being tweeted
about by Wendy Williams, rode in the 2nd largest Martin Luther King
Day parade in the country and the list goes on and one all of which were
because of pageants.
7.Is your family/partner supportive through your
journey?
I am amazingly blessed to have “Team Ezema”.
My team is comprised of my wonderful husband, my mommy, pageant sister Brianna
Williams, my pageant coach Nanette Watts, my Dell coworkers, family and
friends. My husband owns a small business called BTW Medical Transportation and
it is my largest financial sponsor. He is a true pageant husband he knows all
about Swarovski crystals, MAC makeup and he even knows how to help put on a
Body Magic! The most important way he shows his support is by never complaining
about my busy volunteer schedule. My mommy is super proud and always offers her
emotional support as well. My coworkers often have to cover my accounts while I
am out on vacation competing and not only do they not complain but also offer
donations and words of support. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful
group of people in my life.
8.How do you feel about title holders who pose
nude, semi-nude?
Well my experience in pageantry has always been
with systems that consider nude pictures to be unbecoming of a queen and were
against the rules of participation. We do want to be inspirations to young girls
and nudity would I think undermine that.
Our girls see enough messages that say in order to be beautiful you
should wear less clothing I want to paint a different picture for them. As far
as semi-nude that would depend on the content of the pictures and the
particular pageant system because if the system has a swimsuit division that photo
wouldn’t be considered semi-nude.
9. What titles have you held?
I have had the pleasure of being crowned: Miss Capital of Texas Plus America 2010, Mrs. Capital of Texas Plus America 2011, Mrs. Texas Plus America 2011
10.
Has competing in pageants helped you grow as a
person? as a woman? mother? how so?
Wow pageants changed my entire life
seriously! When I tell people my story they usually ask where to sign up to
compete! Since becoming involved in
pageantry I have returned to school, received two job promotions, lost over 100
lbs., and most importantly I got married! I would have never met my husband if
it wasn’t for pageants. My pageant sisters are like family and one of them
introduced me to my husband and we were married later that year. The amazing
women that I have met while participating in pageants offer a support system
and empower me to do more and inspire me to not allow anything to keep me from
accomplishing my goals. I always say I feel like a superhero when I am around
pageant queens. Positive energy is definitely contagious. One of my most recent
accomplishments of completing three 5ks runs would have seemed like an
unobtainable goal but after competing in pageants I truly feel like I can do
anything! Everything is possible when you pray, work hard and don’t give in to
obstacles, statistics, and self -doubt.
11.Do you watch "Toddlers and Tiaras"?
How do you feel about children in pageants?
Yes, I have seen the show although I am not a
regular viewer and I feel that it is a reality television show so the families
that are chosen to spotlight are the ones that can keep the American TV viewers
attention. These days that seems to be the more drama the better and
unfortunately people think that all pageants are like the ones seen on the show
and that just isn’t true. My experiences with children in pageants have been only
scholarship pageants or non-glitz so very different than what is shown on
Toddlers and Tiaras. I actually think pageantry is something that parents
aren’t aware of as a way to help pay for their children’s education. I am
totally supportive of scholarship pageants so much so one of pageant sisters
Brianna Williams and I are looking forward to one day having an organization
that has a “Pageantry for All” division which would sponsor inner city girls to
compete.
12.How do you feel about "pageant
hopping", going from state to state within the same pageant system to
compete?
To be honest this is the first time I have
heard this term however if you are competing in a self- funding pageant system
they allow at large delegates because they don’t have paid directors in every
state so what that means is there may be great interest in one geographical area
and none in other areas. In my experience however these systems require that
you either live, work, own property, or attend school in that state you
represent and I think this gives ladies another chance to compete. I find it
encouraging that these ladies don’t give up they try again and I know national
title holders that did just that. They didn’t give up when they didn’t win the
title for the state they currently reside in.
13. What made you compete in your first pageant?
I was new to the state of Texas and I was
looking to meet ladies like myself. My nephew’s teacher and principal at that
time where both queens and he came home one day and told me “Aunt Bre Miss
Ratliff said she is a pageant queen and she is plus size like you! You should
give it a shot!” He wouldn’t let it go
so eventually I had the pleasure of meeting both Sabrina Mathis and Rachel
Ratcliff and they both spoke so highly of the experience including providing a
platform to bring attention to domestic violence and promised a sisterhood for
life and they were absolutely correct I have made lifelong friendships.
14.How long have you been competing?
I started in 2010 in the Texas Plus America
Pageant system a pageant presented by Pageants Unlimited Plus under the
direction of Nanette Watts.
15. What was your first title?
My first title was Miss Capital of Texas Plus
America 2010.
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