Interview with Libby Fern – Miss Teen Liverpool 2020

Firstly thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions about your pageant journey for my pageant lockdown blog it’s lovely getting to know fellow pageant queens and more about the systems that they represent.

What made you decide to enter pageants?

I decided to enter pageants because I needed a confidence boost and I wanted to find my passion. I had grown up watching the Miss Universe pageant and I remember having so much admiration for how hard the contestants worked. Each contestant was authentically themselves and they exuded confidence naturally. From then on I knew by entering a pageant I would transform into my most confident self.

Can you tell us more about your pageant journey?

I have been competing year after year since 2016 when my pageant journey stared as Miss Jr Teen North Liverpool. This year will be my sixth pageant and competing the past four years has been the most magical experience of my life. I have felt extremely proud to represent my city of Liverpool in the Miss Teen Great Britain and UK Galaxy system as a finalist. Throughout my pageant journey I have been blessed enough to make some incredible friends, memories, hold my own charity events, travel across Great Britain making appearances and fundraise for seven different charities.

What made you decide to enter Miss Teen Great Britain ?

In 2016 when I was researching UK pageants I decided to enter Miss Teen Great Britain because I fell in love with the systems core beliefs of making friends, building confidence and making memories, which is exactly what I have achieved. Miss Teen Great Britain encourages girls to celebrate their proudest achievements and teaches them to be themselves. I loved the idea of spending the whole weekend meeting the contestants, getting to know them during the challenge day and the pyjama party. The whole experience of Miss Teen Great Britain sounded fantastic.

What has Pageantry taught you ?

Pageantry has taught me to love myself and the whole experience has taught me that no matter the result I am a queen no matter what. I now always wear my invisible crown.

What’s your pageant platform and why ?

My platform is to raise awareness for Speech and language delay. My younger sister has severe speech delay and seeing how she has struggled inspired me to create a platform. My goal is to educate others about the condition because there is a severe lack of understanding. This inspired me to create my campaign Time For Talk, I started my video campaign series in November to help raise awareness using social media. In each video I discuss another topic about speech delay and I have recently created my interview series where I interview people with a personal connection to the condition to help share their story. My aim for my campaign is to reach a national then worldwide scale and for the government to acknowledge there is a lack of funding and support to families concerned. I would love to use my personal story and the shining example of my younger sister to show that you don’t need to be able to talk to make your voice heard.

What’s your dream title ?

My dream title is Miss Teen Great Britain

If you were to win Miss Teen Great Britain what would it mean to you ?

If I were chosen to be the next Miss Teen Great Britain it would mean I have achieved my biggest dream. I have been extremely dedicated to the system for the past four years and it would be my dream to be able to give back to the system that has shaped me into the young, confident version of myself today.

What’s your pageant platform and why?

The best advice I could give is work incredibly hard with your title and grasp every opportunity. Enjoy the experience and just be yourself. Please do not give up, if you have a dream title in mind do not stop working your hardest until you achieve it.

What have you been doing in the run up to the Miss Teen Great Britain final ?

During the run up to this years final I have continued to work extremely hard. I have raised £1,800 so far for Miss Teen Great Britain’s chosen charity Together For Short Lives and I have held many different charity events. My most successful event was my charity fashion show which raised nearly £800. As Miss Teen Liverpool I have taken my sash across Great Britain completing 80 appearances. After lockdown there are many more exciting events planned including a charity walk for Together For Short Lives in September and hopefully my pageant girl photoshoot will go ahead in July in aid of ICAN and Together For Short Lives.

What’s your favourite pageant appearance so far ?

My favourite appearance ever most definitely is my charity fashion show I held in December. It was my most successful event and it was so lovely to see members of my local community attend to support me. My pageant sisters came to model and watch the fashion show which meant so much to me. The evening was filled with fashion, entertainment and a disco, it was a blast!

How has lockdown due to COVID19 affected your pageant journey?

Lockdown has unfortunately meant I cannot attend many events I had planned and I have had to postpone some dates where I planned to volunteer for Marie Curie, a charity I regularly fundraise for. However, during lockdown I have been able to develop a strong presence online and start many of my own online challenges for pageant girls to become involved in. I have supported many online campaigns and for the month of May I have been busy raising awareness of my platform and speech awareness month. Throughout my time in lockdown I have planned many more exciting appearances for later in the year and I have been working exceptionally hard to prepare for pageant interview and on stage rounds.

What makes a good pageant role model?

A good pageant role model I believe is someone who is 100% unapologetically themselves. They should posses the qualities of being determined, passionate, positive and most of all inspiring.

What’s your favourite pageant round ?

My favourite pageant round is interview because I believe it is the best opportunity to showcase who you are and what you stand for to the judges. It is your opportunity to show how proud you are of all that you have achieved as a finalist and you can express what makes you unique.

How do you deal with pageant nerves ?

For pageant nerves I simply take a few deep breathes and I remind myself of all the amazing qualities I posses, I repeat to myself “you are you and that is the superpower you will use today!”

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions about your pageant journey it’s been lovely to get to know you and more about your platform. I wish you all the best at the final. Much love Charlotte, Ms Diamond South Yorkshire 2020.