I recently read an article by Rowan Pelling entitled “What’s so wrong about being a beauty queen?” and I have some points I would like to address to Rowan.

I really feel that Rowan hasn’t done her research properly. I thought the Telegraph was meant to be an impartial newspaper but she seems to have taken a rather hard-line stance not covering a number of aspects of Miss World and Miss England (but then these would have weakened her argument) and focused instead on a small competition in Lancashire.

More than 10,000 women applied to compete in Miss England this year, proving the competition is still very much alive. And each of those contestants is encouraged to fundraise for various charities, as well as the Miss World official charity – Beauty With A Purpose; helping disadvantaged children worldwide. I myself have raised £2,500 for BWAP and my local hospital oncology unit, as well as having slept homeless for charity and worked on a social media campaign for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Many of Rowan’s points seem out of date and not properly researched. For example, her insinuation that Miss World’s peak audience figures were in the 1970’s at 27.5 million viewers is not correct, as an estimated billion viewers watched the Miss World final of 2014 on television and online; far from the ‘limping on’ that Rowan suggests. Channel 4 also showed a series of recent documentaries demonstrating how Miss England can help alleviate young women out of poverty.

She also says that “..most young women I know would rather eat their copy of Caitlin Moran’s How to be a Woman than see their vital statistics discussed in public.” And okay Rowan you’re probably right. It doesn’t particularly bother me but firstly this doesn’t happen at all nowadays. Miss England and Miss World have firmly moved on, with Miss England holding intelligence tests and army style fitness boot camps, and Miss World scrapping its beach beauty round entirely. And I also love Beyoncé and all the other women she cites as role models, but don’t forget Beyoncé also used to be a beauty pageant contestant!

I’m also pretty happy with my boyfriend Rowan and not interested in marrying a millionaire - another point Rowan makes is that we contestants only want to win so we can have an advantageous lifestyle. If beauty queens and millionaires used to mix in the same circles, then relationships were bound to occur, and it still very much happens with models and actors, and presenters and singers etc. It is part of being a in celebrity circle. However, I am not entering Miss England to become a celebrity – I am doing it for my local area and the charities I support, as well as all my friends and family who believe in its ethos of ‘Beauty With A Purpose.’  I’m not going to deny I am interested in the career opportunities these competitions can bring about, but I am really happy with my quiet average-person life anyway and I don’t dream of big shining lights; I dream of helping people around the world with the millions we’ve raised in charity funds.

I believe you can be a feminist, a career woman and a female prime minister and still enjoy competitions such as Miss World. I am very keen to pursue my interest in politics so watch this space Rowan! Reigning Miss England Carina Tyrrell is a student doctor at Cambridge University Rowan so again, proving that you can have an exciting career and be a beauty queen! Also I think Lance Corporal Katrina Hodge and former Miss England would have something to say on this matter!

In all the job interviews I’ve had, my background in Miss England has never hindered me, it has made me strong in knowing who I am and has always given potential employers something to remember me by. They already know I am going to work well in teams (mingling with 49 other girls trying to remember a dance routine for an opening number, you learn to get along with others) and that I can speak well publicly.

Regarding Rowan’s comparison to modern day talent shows, I actually think some of these can be quite cruel. I have seen some nasty bullying on Big Brother and while these talent shows are obviously just looking for talent (and who is the most marketable as well) the competitions I have competed in tend to focus not just on a talent for the stage, but a talent of charisma, likability, encouragement of others and of course charitable endeavours.

Asking, “…what dream does the beauty queen now serve?” Rowan suggests that woman have to become a human rights lawyer like Amal Clooney to have a worthwhile career and marry a Hollywood A-lister. Frankly Rowan all women are unique and can dream to be whatever they want be. The 50 contestants taking part in Miss England next month all don’t aspire to have the same lives or careers. I think my career is pretty ‘worthwhile’ and I am not becoming a human rights lawyer, although I have massive respect for those who are. I don’t think offering an example of someone from such a privileged background helps Rowan’s piece very much at all – Miss England contestants come from all walks of life and celebrate all jobs that women have.   

The main issue I have with this piece in the Telegraph is that Miss England and Miss World have moved on. Their origins will always be in the emphasis of beauty on the outside, but they understand what makes a modern woman great and have revamped and modernised to become fantastic competitions that promotes discipline, hard work, fundraising and women supporting one another; which is obviously something that escapes Rowan as she cattily says she loved sizing-up the contestants hair and swimsuits. When I look at the 49 other contestants competing with me next month, I won’t be sizing them up, I will be looking at the new friends I am making and admiring them for all the achievements and charity work they have already demonstrated.