Growing up, Milla hated her larger frame, until it made her stand out on stage...
My mum’s friend raised her eyebrows and looked me up and down.
‘You’re a big girl, aren’t you?’ she smiled.
Later that night, I cried in my room, wishing I could just be
like my friends.
Aged 14, I was 14 stone and six foot tall.
Towering over my petite pals
at school, I was relentlessly bullied for my size.
Soon, I developed body dysmorphia, convinced that
I was hideous.
It wasn’t until I moved to Cornwall, aged 15, that life got better.
I fell in love with surfing.
The time out on the water gave me a chance to think.
Even though I worried about the surfing making my shoulders broader, it didn’t stop me.
Gradually, I realised that I didn’t care.
Through surfing, I discovered plenty of other passions.
After I’d realised how much plastic and rubbish was in the water, I got involved with beach clean-up programs.
Meanwhile, I trained as a lifeguard and learnt how to administer CPR.
It shocked me that so few people knew how to perform
this life-saving first-aid.
In my early 20s, I started volunteering for the St John Ambulance service.
‘You’re always volunteering or working on a project,’ my friend laughed. ‘You should apply for Miss England.’
‘I’ve never even thought about it,’ I replied.
But later that evening, I did some reading.
To my surprise, it turned out Miss England was about a lot more than just looking good in
a swimsuit.
Instead, it functioned as a charity organisation, helping women and girls, as well as the sick and disadvantaged.
Of course, I knew that beauty queens were traditionally thin.
By then, I was
a size 16 and comfortable in
my body.
I’d even thrown
out my scales.
I didn’t see why my size should stop me competing.
And to my delight, I was accepted!
My application focused
on both sustainability and a campaign to make CPR and first aid a compulsory part of the school curriculum.
In the run-up to the event, I was starstruck when I met Prince William at a lifeguard event.
It was an honour to chat to him and he even wished me luck in the finals.
Once it was time to compete,
I was up against 39 other girls
in 12 different rounds over two days.
They were firefighters, lawyers and doctors – a long way from the ‘bimbo’ stereotype of beauty queens.
Everyone was
lovely, though I did notice I was the only plus-size girl.
To my astonishment, I was announced as one of the five finalists!
‘What would you bring to Miss England if you won?’ a judge asked me on stage.
‘I’m bringing the passion and drive to make a difference,’ I replied. ‘I’m so grateful for being here, but regardless of whether I win or not, I’ll still keep pursuing my goals.’
Backstage, all five of us finalists held hands tightly until they announced the winner.
When I heard my name, I could hardly believe it! I felt so honoured to represent our country.
‘I’m so glad you’ve won,’ Angie Beasley, the director of Miss England, said. ‘When I was competing in pageants in the Seventies, there were a few size-12 contestants. But these days, most are a small size 8!
We want to buck that trend.’
‘I guess you don’t have to be stick-thin to be a beauty queen,’ I said, smiling.
Since then, I’ve had incredible opportunities to make a difference in the world.
I’ve come a long way from
the self-conscious teenage girl
I used to be.
Miss England has helped me to feel beautiful, but it’s about so much more than just strutting your stuff on the catwalk!
Milla Magee, 23, Newquay, Cornwall