The only redhead to ever win the Miss England title was a student who endured ruthless bullying at school because of her long, flowing ginger hair.
Shame on you now, bullies
At the glitzy competition, which took place this week in Birmingham, Jessica Gagen, 26, grabbed the crown from the grasp of 30 other beauty queens.
The student of aerospace engineering will now represent England in the Miss World pageant.
The Lancashire woman stated that she chose to speak out after being mercilessly abused at school because of her copper-coloured hair.
She claimed that she endured bullying for being a redhead throughout secondary school.
“Since there has never been a red-haired Miss England, I feel it’s vital to educate people about what redheads endure in school and encourage youngsters who are facing the same problems I did,” she said of her lack of mention of it during the last year’s competition.
The 26-year-old beauty admitted that she experienced numerous instances of name-calling, physical abuse, verbal abuse, and object-throwing at her head.
The incident where a girl burned me for having ginger hair was the worst.
But after being signed to several agencies when she reached 18 and modelling on international catwalks, she has finally gotten the last laugh.
Elevate your game
The 26-year-old from Skelmersdale also disclosed her secret goal in competing in the Miss England pageant: to encourage kids to become more interested in STEM fields.
“My campaign last year and this year is to encourage people to get females into STEM disciplines,” she stated of her participation in Miss England.
But when I realized there had never been a redhead victor, I thought there weren’t that many redheads on TV.
Even last year, there wasn’t a single redhead in Miss World, so I think it would be great if there could be someone in that kind of position who is a redhead.
The first redhead to win in Miss England’s 94-year history is the gorgeous science student.
Gagen continued, “She strutted her stuff for all the ginger kids out there while she was on the stage.”
The British model said, “I felt if I could win this, I might encourage kids who are being teased for the way that they look and the colour of their hair.”
“I have been through it, and you can utilize that suffering to elevate your game. Make it your superpower,” the older child said. “It is good to be able to represent the younger kids.”
Elevate your game.
