Earlier this year, 17-year-old Abigail Manery was crowned the 2017 Idaho Miss Amazing Teen Queen. She is currently preparing to compete at the National Miss Amazing Pageant, which will take place this August in Chicago, Illinois. Abby will be featured in an upcoming documentary highlighting her preparations for the pageant, as well as her life and the disabilities she lives with daily.
The Miss Amazing Pageant is not a beauty pageant—it is a skills-based pageant specifically for girls and women who are living with disabilities. The pageant aims to provide opportunities for participants to build confidence and self-esteem in a supportive environment while practicing skills such as interviewing and public speaking.
The Manery family recently completed three-and-a-half days of filming with a production crew from Attitude Productions for a documentary that will highlight Abby and two other Miss Amazing Queens. They will finish filming in August at the National Pageant.
Of her experiences in the pageant, Abby writes:
"When I first heard about the Miss Amazing pageant last year, it was too late to sign up to be a contestant. I went to the pageant with my mom and loved watching all of the girls. It was the first time I thought that maybe I am beautiful even though I am different. I thought all of the girls and women on the stage were beautiful. I cried as I watched them perform their talent and walk on the stage in the beautiful dresses. I told my mom that night 'I want to do that.'
"[This pageant] is a place where everyone has a chance to win, fit in, be special and beautiful. The pageant is a safe place to share talents, to learn skills like how to talk in front of people, walk proudly and to learn how to interview. I am excited to show the world who I really am. I can't wait for the chance to provide service to my community. . . . "
Through her influence as the 2017 Idaho Miss Amazing Teen Queen, Abby wants to spread the message of celebrating differences. She hopes to help prevent bullying by encouraging others to befriend those who may seem different.
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