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.
Jessica Gagen is the first ever ginger to win Miss England.
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.
But for Gagen, getting to this point wasn’t easy.
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.”
All because her hair happens to be red.
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.”
As she got older, she began modeling, and eventually made it into the pageant world.
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.
“There are kids going through the same things and I want them to know that it doesn’t last for ever.”
“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.
She also explained that being able to compete in Miss World means getting to spread her message even further.
“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.”
Beyond modelling, Jessica is also incredibly smart.
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.
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She hopes to encourage other young women to pursue careers in STEM.
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.”
As for beauty pageants, she views them as a chance to inspire others.
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.”
“If you get involved, you soon realize all of the girls have their own story, their own mission and their own reasons for being there.”
“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
