Their journey began in late 2023 and early 2024 as they each won a local title. This week 25 women ages 18 to 28 will compete for the Miss Virginia title, and 25 teens ages 13 to 18 will compete for the Miss Virginia’s Teen title. Events began Tuesday night, and the week will finish off with the finals at Roanoke’s Berglund Performing Arts Theatre on Saturday night.
The crowned winners of Miss Virginia 2024 and Miss Virginia’s Teen 2024 will go on to compete in Miss America 2025 early next year. Over the last 100 years of pageantry, there has been a feeling among some that the events can be unhealthy for young girls and women by expecting them to uphold an image and allowing others to judge and compare them. The pageant world is often perceived as a “beauty competition” that values a woman’s physical appearance rather than her character.
This year’s Miss Virginia contestants say that entering the pageant world has empowered them to stand up for what they believe in. Some referenced the four points of the crown: style, success, service and scholarship. Miss Skyline Drive Aariyana Britton joined pageantry as an adult and said she was drawn to Miss Virginia because of their appreciation for people like her.
Britton is working on her doctorate and is a public speaker. “It’s a new day in Miss Virginia,” Britton said. “It’s no longer about how you look, but what’s inside.
” Pageants have allowed her to not only hone in on her strengths, but step out of he.
