Pageants are gaining popularity, and one of the reasons for this is certainly the fact that the Estonian misses and missis represented by Tiina Jantson in recent years have done a good job. The main purpose of being a Missis is to be a symbol of your values and principles and the voice of the people.
My mission at international competitions is first and foremost to introduce Estonia, because having travelled a lot around the world, I know that we are almost unknown and a distant country. I consider it important, especially in these difficult political and economic times, to proclaim to the world how important our national identity, independence and freedom are to Estonians. So many successful businesses come from this small dot on the map. Estonia is a small, developed, innovative and democratic country with a unique language and culture. Outside Europe, nobody really knows much about Estonia and the fact that such a small country with such a small population has its own language is unbelievable to many.
In addition, I promote a healthy lifestyle. Taking care of yourself is a learnable skill, and I work hard to constantly improve my habits. We’re used to eating so much sugar and processed products that as soon as we cut back, it’s called dieting. I prepared for the race as athletes do before competitions. I had a diet and exercise plan, and I also had various beauty treatments planned to get myself in the best shape possible.
Mental health. There are a lot of people who are struggling with themselves, whether it’s anything to do with mental health, and it doesn’t even have to be something immediately diagnosable. My therapy is all about taking care of myself – sport, diet, and getting dressed up and putting some makeup on my face, and the sun is out again! Always works!
I don’t keep it a secret that I had various beauty treatments before the competitions. As the mother of a two year old daughter, I think it’s completely unrealistic to expect to be just in good shape without any extra effort. Mental health is also an important part of our wellbeing and I wish that no one would look at me with envy and defiance, but understand my journey and feel motivated too. It is never worth comparing yourself to someone else, because we all have different journeys. If you are working full time and raising children etc., the resource, the free time and money that could be used for doing things for yourself, for example sports, is almost non-existent. Of course, you can’t achieve everything when there are more important things in life. Don’t be hard on yourself.
Speaking of mental health, pageants are also a perfect way to test and boost your self-confidence and give yourself an unforgettable experience. You don’t always have to compete with a great sense of mission, it’s about participation and self-development. Also, unlike Mrs Worldwide, I entered Missis Estonia primarily for my own sake, just to have a bit of a chance to shine outside the home.
In fact, I think it’s absurd to judge someone by their looks, but since it’s human nature to admire beauty, by whatever standards, I’ve decided not to take my good genetics as granted and use them for good purposes instead. You also need certain genetic prerequisites to become a top athlete, but doing sport is good for everyone, but for some reason sporting competitions do not receive half as much criticism.
The reality is that our appearance, or the way we look after ourselves, is the single most important indicator by which we are judged first and make a first impression. The power of looking good and taking care of yourself should not be underestimated.
As I have been modelling for many years (through E.M.A modelling agency), I have no lack of stage experience. Although modelling and pageants are quite different. Besides judging the outward beauty, the competitions also assess confidence, manners, behaviour, intelligence, presentation skills and character. A very important part of the competition was also an interview round where we were asked questions on stage. The referendum was also important, because the aim is to be a symbol of your values and principles, and to do that you need to have supporters.
You don’t have to be married to take part in Missis competitions and the presence of children is irrelevant. Pageants moves along with the modern times!