It’s a record year – an unprecedented 400 contestants will be competing for the opportunity to win the title of Miss California U.S.A. The winner moves on to Miss U.S.A, where another win will put her in the running for Miss Universe. Among them is 21 –year- old Rehana Peiris. Born to Sri Lankan parents, she has lived in California all her life.
She sees her decision to compete as an opportunity to “test her confidence.” Having contested - and lost – in the Miss Sri Lanka U.S.A competition as a 16-year-old, Rehana says this time around things are different. “When I competed in my first pageant, I was so focused on looking like that “Victoria Secret Model” but after a little growing up, I realized that pageants have nothing to do with that. It is all about your confidence.”
With a new emphasis on social networking, fund raising and runway fashion, the organisers say the competition is moving away from the standard ‘who looks best in a bathing suit’ style competitions. Off the runway, contestants will have the chance to win one of two “Social Network Awards” this year. The Friend’s Choice Award will go to the contestant with the most “likes” on Facebook, while the People’s Choice Award will go to the person who inspires the most tweets. If you’d like to support her, you can find Rehana’s fanpage on Facebook. She’s still campaigning for donations and is also hoping to collect votes for the People’s Choice Award. “Root for me, beautiful Sri Lanka, I am doing this for you!” she declares.
Once on stage, Rehana will have three rounds to make an impression – interview round, swimsuit round, and evening gown round. She says she’s mentally prepared: “I have to promote myself by being true to myself during the 5 minute interview and to exude confidence when I catwalk on stage with a bikini and evening gown on, with thousands of people watching. I know you might think that this is easy to do, but it actually is very hard to do.” Rehana hopes to set an example to other young women – condemning what she calls the “Hollywood complex,” she says “I would like to change how women perceive beauty.”
“Media and music constantly emphasize that women are perceived as beautiful if they get Botox shots once a month, bigger breasts, and nose jobs. I would like to spread the word to young women that you don’t have to do all of these things to be beautiful,” she says, explaining, “all you have to do is embrace the body that God has blessed you with... To me that is the definition of being beautiful; being comfortable with the body that God has given you and embracing every flaw, freckle, and layer of fat you think you may have.”
Every contestant is encouraged to espouse a cause. Rehana’s is Kid Care International, an organisation that works with orphans. “My goal is to raise $3,000,” she says, explaining that the majority will go to cover her competition costs. However, she hopes to donate a portion to Kid Care, and to promote the charity extensively should she win.
Currently, Rehana is a senior at the University of California Riverside where her major is Anthropology/Law and Society. After her graduation in June 2011, she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in family and marriage therapy and says her dream is to eventually open a clinic of her own.
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