"I think when you say, 'I compete in pageants', people automatically think that you are an airhead or uneducated and just out there for yourself - but it's completely the opposite."
Alisha Cowie is a personal trainer and model with a degree in crime scene investigation. She also happens to be Miss Newcastle 2017.
The city pageant, which has been running for more than a decade, calls itself a "celebration of local beauty and talent" that sees participants tasked with raising money for North East charities. But beneath the glitz and the glamour of the event, few people know what goes on behind the scenes.
We speak to Alisha and two other winners, Rebecca Gormley and Monet Grant, to find out.
Miss Newcastle 2017 - Alisha Cowie
Former winner Alisha, 22, knows better than anyone what it's really like to take part and what it takes to win.
"When I competed in Miss Newcastle I was 17 and I was so self-conscious," she said. "But it gave me a confidence boost. Getting involved in the charity work and meeting other girls that like similar things to you gives you a sense of community and you just made friends.
"It was a bit of fun. I think that's what people don't understand.
"You are not there to be told you are the prettiest girl in Newcastle, you are there to represent yourself and have a bit of fun. If you win, you win, and you can utilise it in the way that you want to."
For Durham model Alisha, that meant using her platform to raise money and awareness for organisations such as PAPYRUS UK, a charity for the prevention of young suicide. She stressed that taking part in the pageant isn't about becoming a model or an influencer - it's a role that sees the winner acting as an ambassador for Newcastle.
"It's about giving and being an all-around good person who can represent Newcastle well," she said. "There is a lot more to it than just wanting to be a model or an influencer; you have to want better things for yourself. That is why I used that platform to be an ambassador for PAPYRUS.
"I think you have to be in for the right reasons. If you want to be famous or Instagram famous then it's not necessarily going to get you that."
But Alisha admits that she has faced the negative stereotypes of what people think pageant contestants are like.
"I think when you say, 'I compete in pageants', people automatically think that you are an airhead or uneducated and just out there for yourself - but it's completely false," she said.
The young women taking part raise thousands for charities such as the Chronicle Sunshine Fund by putting on their own fundraising events during the competition, but the finale is very much a runway show.
Participants model various outfits, including an evening gown, on the catwalk and deliver a speech in response to a question from the judges. A judging panel made up of "industry experts" then makes a decision on who they will crown Miss Newcastle.
Women taking part have been known to spend up to £2,000 on a dress they hope will wow judges, but Alisha was quick to stress that's not what will make you a winner.
Alisha, who went on to take the Miss England crown and compete in Miss World after securing her Miss Newcastle title, said: "You can be the most beautiful girl [judges] have ever seen but if you don't have the rest of what they're looking for then you are not going to win.
"Some girls I know spend £2,000 on an evening gown but it's just not necessary as the gown isn't the thing that is going to win you the pageant. Essentially, it's all about your confidence.
"If you're confident in a £50 dress, you're going to win over someone who isn't confident in a £2,000 dress."
Alisha who is due to compete in Miss International UK next year joked that pageants can be quite "addictive" as she offered advice to women wanting to become the next Miss Newcastle.
"Don't get caught up on what the other girls look like or what they're doing," she said. "Sometimes, what you see on social media isn't always what is going on. Go in and be yourself."
Miss Newcastle 2018 - Rebecca Gormley
That advice is echoed by Miss Newcastle 2018 winner Rebecca Gormley, who went on to star in Love Island after winning the title.
The 24-year-old model from Wallsend said: "You don't know who is going to win because the judges take so much into consideration. It's not just about how you look. Judges also look at the way you present yourself in the run-up to the pageant.
"My advice to people would be to be themselves and not to compare themselves with others. The most important thing is to have fun with it. Don't put pressure on yourself."
Rebecca, who was also crowned Miss Charity after raising £ 2,500 for Chronicle Sunshine Fund, said the pageant had a massive impact on boosting her confidence.
"It massively helped," she said. "I have always been quite confident and outgoing but the pageants really took me out of my comfort zone."
She continued: "It has obviously led to other opportunities for me which I am grateful for. I think, along the pageant journey, I gained followers through raising funds for the charity and connecting with the community.
"I feel like that initially helped to build my platform and get noticed by people and the likes of TV. Maybe the platform of Miss Newcastle helped me get on Love Island - I don't know!"
Rebecca said that, four years down the line, she still keeps in touch with many of the girls she competed with, dispelling the notion that pageants can be cut-throat.
"Even though all the girls are in competition with one another because people want to win, we all became like a family," she said. "Everyone was so supportive of one another. I gained a lot of friends from the pageant and speak to a lot of the girls now."
Miss Newcastle 2019 - Monet Grant
That also remains the case for Miss Newcastle 2019 winner Monet Grant who said that there is more to the pageant than what meets the eye.
The 22-year-old from from Chester-Le-Street said she became close friends with the women she competed alongside as she called the pageant a "celebration" of their charity efforts.
Monet, who now works as an interior designer in Manchester, raised £2,500 for the Sunshine Fund. She said: "It was my first ever pageant, but I wouldn't call it a pageant really, because it's not all about the glitz and the glamour.
"If it was purely based on beauty I wouldn't have entered. It is more of a celebration of what we did, working so closely with the Chronicle Sunshine Fund."
She continued: "Miss Newcastle is more focused on looking at our values individually and our personalities and hard work and dedication rather than a beauty pageant, rather than your classic, old-fashioned pageants. Even though it is lovely to get dressed up and go on the catwalk, it is more about how you carry yourself and hold yourself, especially when it came to the speeches - it was about how you came across to everybody.
"On the night you don't feel like you are competing because you are so close to the girls."
Monet, who wore her prom dress for the evening gown round, had a word of advice for anyone thinking about taking part.
She said: "Just completely be yourself when you enter. Your personality is individual and everyone is going to love that."
The Chronicle Sunshine Fund said that the Miss Newcastle pageant has helped to raise thousands of pounds to buy specialist and adapted equipment for disabled children in the North East. In 2019 the pageant raised £35,000 for the charity.
A spokeswoman from The Chronicle Sunshine Fund said: "We have been the proud beneficiaries of The Miss Newcastle campaign for many years and it's been a fantastic opportunity for the charity. Not only to raise vital funds, but also to raise the profile of the charity in the business community.
"We have always been so impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the finalists who have gone above and beyond to support us. The funds raised through the Miss Newcastle campaign enables us to purchase specialist and adapted equipment for disabled children in the North East region and we are so proud of the finalists for raising this phenomenal amount. We can't wait for this event to return and highlight the passion and community spirit of Newcastle once again.”
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