Beauty Pageant Designed To Be A Celebration Of Curly Hair

By Allan Tellis

DENVER (CBS4) - Last weekend, women and girls gathered at Manual High School to participate in the inaugural "Miss Curly Self E-Steam Pageant." This unique beauty pageant was designed to be a celebration of curly hair and an opportunity to build self-esteem.

Event organizer Esilana Sirrah was excited to have the opportunity to empower the participants, especially young girls, by reminding them that they are beautiful in their skin.

She furthered this point on stage saying "We polled young girls and the number one thing they were most concerned about at school was how they looked."

She wanted to make sure that the young women in attendance felt supported, and she gave them a chance showcase their talents to community members and peers.

Not only did the Pageant highlight fantastic hairstyles and beauty techniques, there was also a talent portion of the show where participants showcased their skills ranging from dance routines to spoken word performances.

This message of pride and celebration resonated well with participants such as Trinity Burke, a Junior at George Washington High School.

"Events like this uplift everyone's self-esteem. We definitely need more celebrations like this of the curly hair community," Burke said.

The event also showcased local vendors who create hair and skin care products for patrons who often can't find products on retail shelves.

Manushkka Sainvil, the owner of local hair care company "Chubby Curls," emphasized this saying, "I started having fun with my hair I started experimenting with different hairstyles, and I was able to see how my hair turned into this really luscious crop of hair and to me that was a real turning point where I realized I'm embracing my hair instead of just tolerating it. That's what I want to do for the natural community because I realize styling our hair can still be a real pain point."

With such a spectacular display of talent and fashion, it is no wonder that event organizers have already begun plans for their 2nd annual "Miss Curly Self E-Steam Pageant" in the fall of 2018.