For the young women in Cayman competing in the international beauty pageant scene, acclaimed pageant and runway coach Lu Sierra says they ought to think big.
“Your country has always given beautiful ladies; that’s not the problem. Sweethearts, mostly, with big hearts, but we have to come in on a competitive level. We have to not think of ‘I’m Miss Cayman’ but ‘I’m going for a Miss World or Miss Supranational’,” Sierra said on Compass TV’s Daybreak on 28 April.
During her recent visit, Sierra partnered up with the Miss World Cayman Islands organisation to train local representatives Jada Ramoon (Miss World), Tracey Campbell (Miss Supranational), and Shiiannte Sterling (Miss Teen), in preparation for their individual competitions in the coming months. Her training included perfecting their walks and stage presence.
Ramoon will be competing at the 72nd Miss World Festival in Telangana, India from 7-31 May. Campbell will represent Cayman at the 16th Miss Supranational Experience on 9-28 June, and Sterling will take centre stage at Miss Teen Mundial on 20-27 July.
Sierra, coming from a world of supermodels, got her start in modelling at 17 years old. She has modelled in Tokyo, New York, Paris and Italy, and has worked with fashion greats including Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Givenchy and Saint Laurent.
She’s never personally participated in a pageant before but somehow found herself in pageantry.
“I would’ve never thought in a million years that I would be a pageant coach,” she said.
She had started helping models become better at their craft, but it wasn’t until an encounter with current United States President Donald Trump, who owned the Miss Universe organisation franchise at the time, that she began working in pageantry. Trump caught wind of her talent and skills and interviewed her on how to get his competitors to look like supermodels. The pageant ratings went up and she started working with the organisation and many others.
Cayman franchise owner and director Pamela Ebanks-Small said the training received by Sierra “reflects their commitment to supporting queens and elevating the country’s representation on the world stage”.
For many beauty queens, winning the sash and tiara is equivalent to a hard-earned race medal. Ebanks-Small likened the journey of pageantry to that of athletic training.
“Pageantry has changed over time, and I think for Cayman, it has to change. We are being a bit more competitive, and I think people are starting to realise that you have to be an athlete,” she said.
“You have to feel confident in yourself, and just like sports, you have to practice. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel. I just can’t walk out on stage and not practice my walking. So, I think that’s one thing that our girls need to understand … It takes a lot of practice when you’re going internationally.”
Ebanks-Small added, “One thing I tell my three queens is, this is your one chance. You probably won’t get that chance again … So maybe you’ve got to sacrifice a bit … Maybe you [won’t] go out because you have to practice.
“It’s really a competition; it’s not just looking pretty. You have to do sports, interview, head-to-head challenge and talent. You have to be diverse and ready to take on that international stage,” she said.
Sierra advised young women to take advantage of other learning opportunities to grow their talent.
“You have great coaches locally,” Sierra said, adding, “I don’t want to ever take anything away, but ladies, take from several people and make a rockstar nobody has ever seen. Secondly, if you don’t believe you are worthy of the job, you can’t expect others to.
“That’s a big part of being prepared but you must believe you are worthy of the position. They’re not looking for the tallest or the thinnest or best set of buns; they’re looking for a leader and a role model who can help other women who happens to be beautiful and gives back to her community.”
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