Text|Womany Jiaqi
Who decided that people who participate in pageants are not smart or that there can be no smart beauties? As if to show that such a thing is just prejudice, the story of a woman who won a science experiment at a beauty pageant.
When you think of a pageant, you think of a contestant playing an instrument, singing, and dancing. However, there was a special woman among the contestants of Miss Virginia held in June of this year. Her hobby is doing science experiments, so she broke down hydrogen peroxide on stage to create a colorful fountain of bubbles.
Her name is Camille Schrier. She is a student at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy and is also Miss Virginia.
Photo | INSIDER
"I was a girl who loved science since I was little." She said in her self-promotion at the pageant: Then, wearing goggles, gloves, and a lab coat, I created a colorful fountain of bubbles by decomposing hydrogen peroxide, which reacts violently. (Of course, she warned those who wanted to try this experiment not to do it at home.) Please be satisfied with this video. ）
According to an Insider article, since she was named Miss Virginia, she has been one of the promoters of women's advancement into STEM (an abbreviation for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, referring to the field of science) and has been working on projects to spread the word about the safe use of drugs and the prevention of substance abuse.
She is currently working on her doctorate and will represent Virginia at Miss America in September of this year. Camille's alma mater also shared a video of her at the pageant. Her next two goals are "Miss America" and "Doctor of Pharmacy".
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Isn't it possible to be "smart and beautiful"? That's not the case
Beauty and cleverness are not dichotomy between body and mind. Many people make fun of everyone who goes to the pageant that they are "smart" beauties, and if they make fun of it, they will conclude that "smart girls" are not fashionable.
Camilla, the winner of the pageant, believes that the two are not in conflict. "When you think of self-promotion at a pageant, you probably think of playing the piano or singing, which is also one of the stereotypes," she said.
"I want to be someone who breaks the limits and challenges the stereotypes of self-promotion in pageants. I wanted to go outside of this frame, and I succeeded in doing so. （"As someone who is breaking the boundaries and breaking stereotypes for what talent looks like at Miss America, I wanted to be a little out of the box, and it really worked out.“）
The public's image of self-promotion of beauty pageants has been quite limited until now. For example, the idea is that showcasing "female talents" such as singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments will make a good impression on the judges. But Camille taught me that if you show off your specialty, you can win, even if it lacks "femininity".
You don't have to be with everyone, you yourself are important
Of course, not everyone can be beautiful and smart, but Camille's experience shows that stereotypes can be eliminated if you try.
At Miss Peru 2017, instead of revealing her three sizes, a contestant read out the names of victims of sexual assault. In 2019, all three major American beauty contest winners are African Americans. Beauty standards are constantly changing, from race to beauty and intelligence.
Whether or not she wins the pageant, Camille is still taking on the invisible wall in her own way. You don't have to sing to become the winner of the pageant. If you do what you love, you will be able to become the best version of yourself you wanted.
Photo | INSIDER
[1] Exploding Foam Fountain: A triangular beaker is filled with 35% hydrogen peroxide, and a soap bubble liquid mixed with dye and water is also added. Then put on goggles and gloves and put potassium iodide as a catalyst in a wide area. The speed of the fountain is very fast, so be careful not to get close to your body and face when entering.