While most of us probably agree that bullying is never okay, we've all also experienced it in life (and maybe have even been the bully from time to time).
For the current Miss England, the ultimate way to get back at her childhood bullies was to become one of the most beautiful people in the UK, and shattering barriers while doing so.
Landing the title for 2022/2023, the 27-year-old is the first ever redhead to win Miss England in the pageant's 94-year history. She will represent the country in the upcoming Miss World contest.
Growing up, Jessica was subject to a lot of harsh bullying, and it went beyond just name calling.
"I was hit, spat at and had things thrown at my head quite a few times, but worst was when a girl burned me for having ginger hair," she told LancsLive. "In Year 7 I used to eat my lunch in the school toilets, because on the occasions I’d try to sit with some of the girls they’d stand up and leave me by myself."
Jessica also confessed that she would eat her lunches in the bathroom to avoid her bullies.
"When I started secondary school I was picked on for my hair color and it used to grind me down," she said to The Sun. "I used to feel really bad about myself."
By 18, Jessica was signed to multiple modelling agencies. She states that she competed in Miss England in order to empower girls like her who may have been subject to bullying.
"A lot of people think it’s about winning a crown and it’s not, it’s about getting your message out there," she continued.
"I decided I’d been given this set of genes because the universe thought I was strong enough to deal with it," she says. “Any backlash that I’m getting for it, I’m just gonna have to roll with it."
Despite being bullied in school Jessica loved learning and went on to ace her exams. She's incredibly interested in math and science, and is working toward a Master's in aerospace engineering at Liverpool University.
Jessica hopes to be a role model to any young woman, saying, "I want show them how great STEM subjects can be because, it’s still very male dominated, especially in engineering."
She went on to say, “People have a lot of misconceptions about beauty pageants, an archaic view of what they involve. I’m hoping to change that and inspire others."
"They’re all raising awareness about something close to their heart. It’s about using the platform in a positive way to spread your message."
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
h/t: The Sun
