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In recent years, a number of alternative beauty pageants have been brought to life. Their goal is to celebrate the beauty of people thay may not fit the generally accepted understanding of how a perfect man or woman should look like.
One such inspiring program is the Colorado-based Serenity Project. The brainchild of IJM Colorado Miss 2017 Serene Singh aims to find 15 of the most empowered and strong women in Colorado and invest in their goals, dreams, and ambitions of modeling, public speaking, and confidence growth.
Every single one of the contestants of the 2017 pageant endured through experiences of abuse, foster care, special needs, body dysmorphia and many other severe traumas in their lives. At the Fashion Show, each of the model’s stories were shared on stage with the live audience, before they get to present themselves in an outfit of choice that makes them feel beautiful and proud of themselves.
In addition to outstanding leadership opportunities for a year and a strong commitment to helping these women serve the general community through their stories of empowerment, the models were awarded various titles represented by sashes for them to remind themselves that inner beauty is the channel by which transformation in the world can be made.
The 15 models were awarded with titles like Miss Strength 2017, Miss Neoteric 2017, and Miss Courageous 2017. Serenity Project Miss Passionate 2017 even traveled from Oklahoma in a wheelchair to be a part of the empowering and inspirational event.
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