Monet Rhoden is a down to earth and friendly first year journalism major at Carleton University who is set on chasing her dreams. This summer she is participating in her first ever pageant. This beauty from Brampton, Ontario is interested in making her family, town and of course, herself, proud. When asked to provide a fun fact about her hometown, Rhoden excitedly replied with, “…where I’m from we speak over 70 languages! That completely blows my mind because it shows how diverse Brampton really is and how many interesting people live together in such a small town.”
Rhoden’s enthusiasm for new experiences, as aptly demonstrated by the previous declaration, was what pushed her to enter the pageant. Well, that and of course, “…all the glitz and glamour that is associated with pageants,” she added. Monet personally enjoys dressing up, looking her best and a little healthy competition. When asked about how she chose this particular competition to compete in Rhoden said, “When I came across this pageant, I knew that I just had to join. It’s a mix of glam, but at the same time, it’s all about giving back to those in the community and raising awareness about causes that each contestant believes in. I’ve always wanted to leave a positive mark on my community, so that was something that definitely sparked my interest.”
The philanthropic and charitable aspect of pageant life is centric to Rhoden’s personal convictions, “Through a lot of prior research, I found that this pageant was the one for me.” One of Monet’s friends, Nicolle, won this pageant several years ago and proved to be an inspiration for Monet’s endeavour to compete in 2014. Rhoden happily provided details about the pageant. “It’s taking place in August in Toronto and it’s called the Miss Canada Globe pageant. [It is] put on by Miss Canada Globe productions.”
Though the process of pageantry may seem foreign to many of us, Monet happily broke down the entire pageant and provided a brief outline of what she will be doing.
“Basically, there is a preliminary round where each contestant competes in an evening gown competition and swim wear competition. The judges tally up scores that each contestant got from those categories and decide who moves forward to do it again in the final round.” In context of the competitive aspect of the pageant world, Monet shed some light on how awards are allocated to contestants. “There are also other ways for contestants to score bonus points such as, most photogenic awards, best national costume award, talent show winner, etc. that can help a contestant move to the finals. After those have been determined there is also a portion of the competition where each contestant must say what their platform is. That is a huge part in the competition.” For the talent portion of the event Rhoden confided that she will be dancing and signing. Though singing is a newfound passion for her, dancing has been part of her life since she was three years old.
In preparation for this event, Monet disclosed that she is simply continuing with her usual lifestyle routine except now she has a definite goal in mind to work toward as motivation. Rhoden mentioned, “I am also trying to stay really fit for the competition as well as fitness is super important to me, and it scores a lot of points in the pageant. [Preparation] is just lending a helping hand to charities and causes to show that you are willing to make a difference in the lives of others. If chosen as Miss Canada Petite [you have to show] that you care.” She is additionally informing as many people as possible of her participation in this event in order to gain support for the voting component of the pageant.
Monet is seemingly quite motivated by her own sense of curiosity, it was that which led her to pursue journalism in the first place.
“I’ve always been curious about everything and have always enjoyed writing. I chose Carleton because the journalism program here is the best of the best and has a very good reputation.” This bright outlook on life will be a key component in succeeding an industry which is traditionally portrayed as cut-throat and vindictive. Nevertheless, Rhoden states that she would recommend the experience to everyone for the following reasons, “I feel that pageants are a great way for people to come out of the comfort zones…because through my pageant journey so far I feel like I have grown so much as a person and have connected with so many new people. I feel that people frown upon pageants because they are known to make women feel that they have to look a certain way to compete or win one. This is untrue when it comes to [the Miss Petite Canada Competition] because the winner is not being judged based on looks, size, colour or anything like that. It is all based on inner beauty. [All of the competitors] are really supportive toward one another and help each other out a lot to succeed.”
Her friends and family have been, in her words, “…super supportive [of her] decision to join a pageant.” The only challenge she has faced thus far is, “…the cost to compete. It is a little on the pricey side, but through sponsorship from local businesses and fundraisers, I overcame this challenge.”
When asked if she could impart one piece of advice to our readers, Monet Rhoden immediately echoed the words of encouragement her parents often repeat to her, “…always strive for your dreams no matter what anyone says because there will always be someone trying to stop you from reaching your final destination; always keep moving forward, no matter what gets in your way.