A short beauty queen has proved height is no barrier after becoming the smallest contestant to reach the Miss England finals - at 5ft tall. Emily Harrison, 26, wanted to embrace her size and break the stereotype of tall, leggy catwalk models so she entered the pageant in a bid to boost her confidence.
The university student always believed she was too small to be a model but decided to apply to Miss England last year because the contest did not have a height restriction. And she was left gobsmacked when she was announced as one of the grand finalists - making her the shortest contestant in the pageants 93-year history.
Emily was dwarfed by her fellow beauty queens when she took to the catwalk to compete alongside 29 other women in October and finish third in the talent round. Now, she is gearing up to become the first British entry to compete in an international contest for petite models in the USA this summer.
Emily, who is also a part-time busker, says she wants to empower shorter women and inspire them to enter the modelling world. Emily, of Longbridge, Birmingham, said: "Throughout Miss England you could see in photos how small I was compared to other models, but it didn’t matter to me. I am not your typical contestant and I used that to my advantage.
“It became my niche when I was competing, you could say I’m the ‘five-foot Brummie’ and I embraced my size. I think there is a certain reputation hanging over shorter girls which makes them seem young or that they can’t be successful, but I don’t think this is the case.
“I feel that by competing I was able to show girls that you can achieve whatever you want to regardless of your height. Being short doesn’t define me, I put on a pair of heels and feel in my element, especially when I walk the catwalk.
“I want to, and I am, pushing to empower shorter women and I think there should be a variety in model sizes and I’m here representing for the small petite girls. I may be 'petite' but it doesn’t stop me following my dreams, I can accentuate my height in various ways and I think if someone has the right attitude, passion and drive together they can be successful.
“There is always an opportunity for a petite girl and I was so pleased Miss England didn’t have height restrictions. I know I’m not the usual stereotypical tall contestant/supermodel in the industry but Miss England gave me the opportunity to show petite girls can do it to
“A girl should be two things, who and what she wants, and height doesn’t define that.” Emily will fly out to Tampa, Florida, USA, this summer to compete in the Universal Petite Competition on board a cruise ship.
She will go head-to-head with women from across the world in a series of photoshoots, catwalks, and interviews. The Computer Science student added: “I’m going to be the first person from England to ever compete in the competition.
“I can’t wait to take part and make the shorter women of society proud. We will be on a cruise ship but will go on days for photoshoots. I am looking forward to the swimsuit shoot the most.
“I want to promote that pageants are not just about beauty but so much more." In July last year, Emily ‘randomly’ signed up to Miss England online and reached the final following a photoshoot auction and catwalk competition in London.
For her charity round she took to the streets of Birmingham busking in the city centre for cash and raised over £700 for Beauty with a Purpose and a stillborn charity. She was shortlisted in the Miss England talent round where she placed in the top three
after performing at Solar Air Sequin Walls influencers lounge in Mansfield, Notts.
After placing third, Emily was invited to compete in the Universal Petite Contest which will take place between July 6-10.
Emily, the eldest daughter from a family of 12, said her parents and siblings are very supportive of her modelling adventure. She hopes to one day be a professional singer songwriter and plans to release an album next year.
Emily is currently studying Computer Science at The University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Birmingham Campus. She will soon start a Masters in Commercial Song writing and Production after her busking experience pushed her to pursue her passion.
The part-time model added: “Singing is my passion and makes me happy. I have been singing for as long as I can remember."
Angie Beasley Miss England organiser said "For many years taller girls have dominated the modelling and pageant world, many still have restrictions. With the rise of influencers and now pageants are becoming more diverse, height isn’t such a big deal.
“It's good to see shorter women getting the recognition they deserve. I think it’s unfair to have height restrictions and we want to be inclusive.”
Anyone wishing to enter Miss England 2023 can do so online. For more details about the Petite Universal finals visit universalpetite.com
