Interview with Miss Kent Great Britain 2019/2020 – Zoë Hetherington

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

What made you enter pageants ?

When I was 8 I won Bearsted Carnival Queen (a little town I used to live in), I saw some Miss Kent girls then and knew as soon as I was old enough I wanted to take part in pageants. When I was 17 I took the plunge and entered my first pageant and I have never looked back, I knew I wanted to make a difference.

So you have competed, can you tell us about your journey so far ?

When I was 17 I entered Miss Kent heat for Miss England, I then had a small break and at 19 entered Miss Brighton heat for Miss Great Britain. Then I’m 2019 the first live heat was held for Miss Kent for Miss Great Britain and I knew it was the perfect time for me to enter again, and I won!

What made you decide to compete in the Miss Great Britain system ?

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Miss Great Britain to me is all about embracing who you are, and that’s what I love and that’s what my platform stands for.

What the best thing that pageants have taught you ?

To love who you are, get out there and do it, make a difference and you meet some truly amazing people in pageantry.

What’s your pageant platform and why ?

My pageant platform is all about embracing who you are, I run a campaign called beYOUtiful, which has reached around 245,000 people on social media, radio and tv. I struggled when I was younger with my self-confidence and embracing who I was. Once I finally got help I knew there was so many people who are suffering and think they’re alone. So I created my campaign to share inspiring stories and help people embrace who they are and understand they are not alone. The feedback and messages I have received since starting my campaign has been incredible, I hope to one day start empowerment workshops and expand my campaign further.

What’s your dream title ?

My dream title will definitely be Miss Great Britain!

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

It would give me the platform to really help others and make a difference. I want to campaign to get empowerment lessons and self-love taught in school. We spend our lives teaching people to love others, but who teaches us to love ourselves? I want that to change.

How was the lockdown due to COVID19 effected your pageant journey ?

It’s meant I can’t get out in my community for my last few months with my title. However it’s allowed me to plan for the future and hoping to one day compete in Miss Great Britain again.

What’s your favourite pageant round ?

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It has to be swimwear, I love being on stage empowering one another. It’s when you can really showcase you, it’s not about your size or how you look, it’s about your confidence in yourself and that’s what I love.

How do you deal with pageant nerves ?

It’s taken a long time, but you can learn to use nerves positively. Don’t see them as a negative, embrace them and channel them into adrenaline to rock the stage!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. It’s been lovely getting to know you and your platform better. Congratulations on you campaign reaching nearly 250,000 people that’s incredible. I hope to see you competing in Miss Great Britain next year. Much love, Charlotte, Ms Diamond South Yorkshire 2020.