A forklift truck driver who is a plus-size model is hoping to become the first lesbian Ms Great Britain. Last year's Miss Great Britain came out as bisexual, but mum-of-two Emma-Jay Webber understands she will be the first openly gay finalist to proudly walk the Ms Great Britain stage since the pageant began 77 years ago.
The 40-year-old said she became the first openly lesbian queen in UK pageantry back in 2019 when she won the Miss Paragon International Crown and said that, since then, she has been giving a much needed voice for the LGBTQ+ community. Ms Webber, from Cribbs Causeway in South Gloucestershire, said she has found that pageantry is a hugely hetero-normative industry which is severely lacking in LGBTQ+ role models.
She said there are LGBTQ+ women in pageantry that are afraid to 'come out' due to fear of titles being stripped away, fear of being judged differently and fear over potential homophobia. "Being a finalist for Ms Great Britain is much more than a title. I hope to represent the change and be the beacon of light for those still hidden from sight due to fears of rejection".
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Ms Webber has been running two campaigns - #IAmVisible and #PageantPride - to prove that there are no barriers in becoming a modern beauty queen and that any girl, regardless of sexuality, is deserving of the crown. The beauty queen has previously said she got involved in pageants in 2017 as she was looking for something to improve her self-confidence.
"The competition was Miss British Beauty Curve and I came runner-up," she said. "I then went to represent England in the international competition and came third. That is the point I knew what pageants were about and I fell in love with it. It is so different to what people think."
Ms Webber - who grew up in south Bristol - then decided to enter a mainstream pageant where she was one of the few plus-size women and won, which she said felt incredible.
She has a sporting background, having played football most of her childhood and studying a degree in the science of football. Then, after her marriage came to a sudden end in 2016, her self-esteem was crushed and she was looking for something to boost her confidence when she came across an advert for Miss British Beauty Curve.
The Miss Great Britain Grand Final will be held on October 21 in Leicester where more than 50 women will compete in fashion wear, swimwear, evening gown rounds, plus a panel interview where three winners will be crowned Miss, Ms & Ms Classic Great Britain.
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