Here's the article about the results of the pageant.
http://www.wkuherald.com/media/stora...-2824808.shtml
The familiar beat of the "Pink Panther" theme song plays as 13 beautiful, curvaceous women enter from the back of the packed DUC Theater. They prance down the aisles, donning fatigue pants, purple shirts with gold writing, and glimmering, spray-painted golden shoes.
They sway their hips and snap their fingers to the rhythm as they smile seductively at the those they pass.
Audience members in the front rows squirmed and turned their bodies to unimaginable angles, nearly breaking their necks to see the women as they enter the theater.
That's when they see them.
They are the contestants of the inaugural Miss Omega Pageant, a showcase for the full-figured women on Western's campus.
The Miss Omega Pageant is hosted by Omega Psi Phi fraternity. They decided to host a pageant for full-figured women to embrace the beauty of a woman's curves, said Western alumnus Montez Phillips, co-coordinator of the pageant.
"This pageant is showing that we are beautiful," said contestant LaTya Palms, a freshman from Nashville, Tenn. "Beauty has no size."
As the women walk onto the stage, the crowd erupts into a frenzy. They confidently strut to the center, moving their bodies, smiling energetically and captivating the audience. All eyes are on them.
The contestants of the pageant began popping their chests and shaking their hips to the beat of the music.
Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" echoed from the speakers as audience members swayed back and forth, singing along to the music and cheering for the 13 women.
The Omegas felt there was an absence in the classic celebration of pageantry, according to their pageant advertising book. They wanted to show full-figured women in their finest elements.
Yet Miss Omega was no easy show to prepare for. Contestants endured about 10 weeks of intense, rigorous practices to ensure the success of the show.
At first, there were about four practices a week, which each lasted about four to five hours. As time progressed, the practice regime intensified.
Contestants practiced five to six days a week, about four to five hours a night.
"The pageant took a lot of my time," said contestant Bryttnee Price, a Louisville freshman. "When it's over, I'm going to miss being around these ladies; we've connected. However, this will give me time to do other things on campus."
Baltimore graduate student Branson Holly, an organizer of the event, demanded a lot of time for practices to ensure the longevity of the pageant. The progress of the pageant depended on the contestants, he said.
During one of the several Miss Omega practices, one contestant leaned over to another while Holly was speaking.
She joked that it was unfair for her competitor to participate in the pageant, because she had lost so much weight from practicing.
Plus-sized typically describes women who wear a dress size ranging from 14 to 24. There is no absolute weight distribution to determine exactly what is plus-sized, because of the variations in different bodily characteristics, like height and bone structure, Holly said.
Price said the pageant has helped her tune into her self-confidence and self-respect more.
"This show presents something good to the public," Price said. "We are a population who is often overlooked."
The Miss Omega Pageant consisted of five categories: business, "nitelife," sleepwear, talents and formal walks.
Performance after performance, the audience was amazed and entertained from beginning to end.
Whether it was contestant Arielle Holt, a Louisville junior, performing a spiritual dance to Tye Tribbitt's "Thank You," or contestant Andrea McMurry, a Louisville sophomore, suggestively dipping her body during the sleepwear portion, the audience continuously gave roaring applauses and standing ovations.
As the night came to a close, contestants, coordinators and audience members awaited the announcement they had been dying to hear all night.
Price was crowned the first Western Kentucky University Miss Omega.
As Master of Ceremony and Western alumnus Lemarceo Shemwell announced her name, she fell to her knees crying. Other contestants and audience members crowded around her, congratulating Miss Omega as she was crowned and received a bouquet of flowers.
"This is so unexpected," she said. "I'm at a loss of words. This title holds a lot of responsibility, and during my reign I will represent it well."
Second runner up was Louisville junior Jessica Sutherland, and first runner up was Holt.
Palms' predictions were correct.
"We're gonna show out the night of the pageant and look better than any of them skinny girls," she said.
From audience's reactions, they did.
Reach Stephanie Keene at
features@wkuherald.com.
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