by Lucy Mullinger. — A swimming coach, nursing student and now in the running to become the next Miss World, Pukekohe local, Imogen Marshall is a multi-tasker with the motivation to achieve her dreams.
No stranger to the world of beauty pageantry, Imogen competed in Miss Auckland in 2016 which she says was a great way to boost her self-esteem and she was honoured to be given the ‘Friendship award’, by her fellow models. “It was nice to know that the girls who I had spent 10 weeks with felt that I was worthy of such an honour. I was flattered,” she says.
Born with striking red hair, Imogen wanted to prove that not all models are the same “I am a strong advocate for diversity. I really believe in trying to keep things natural.”
While the Miss Auckland event helped Imogen build her confidence, Miss World is a way for Imogen to build her modelling career. “This time around I’m a completely different person and have a lot more confidence.”
As part of her goal to become Miss World, Imogen will be participating in fundraising for “Beauty with a purpose,” which is a charitable foundation run by Miss World and created in 1972 by Julia Morley. Since then, millions of dollars have been raised and donated to organisations worldwide. This year, Imogen will be fundraising for Annie’s Lifeline, a charity which assists suicide survivors with getting their lives back on track. The charity, was founded by last year’s Miss World NZ 2017, Annie Evans.
According to the New Zealand Asia Pacific Trust, which runs Miss World NZ, the issue of suicide is “so prevalent in NZ and is so poorly funded, that we decided that this would be our beauty with a purpose into the future.”
As one of the 12 finalists, Imogen says that each of the girls has the chance to be placed as a beauty contestant in an international event, whether it be Miss World, Miss International, Miss Grand International, Miss Intercontinental or Miss Tourism International; however she admits that everyone is vying for the Miss World title. “Obviously there will be a wee bit disappointment on the night, we can’t all win the same thing. However I feel we are all going into it with the realisation that we are blessed to be given this opportunity. We get to make great new friends and we will win something in the end.”
The first runner-up of Miss World New Zealand represents her country at the Miss International event. In the year 1960, New Zealand made a debut at the Miss International and won the first ever title in the year 1971.
The second runner-up of Miss World New Zealand represents her country at the Miss Intercontinental. The third runner-up represents at the Miss Tourism Queen International. New Zealand has never won any crown at the Miss Tourism Queen International, however, in the year 2009 the NZ representative made it to the Top 20 finalists. The fourth-runner up goes on to represent New Zealand at the Miss Grand International, a beauty contest aimed at participating in creating peace and ending war.
In order to compete in Miss World, Imogen is working on fundraising for Annie’s Lifeline and the expenses she will need to cover for the event. As part of her fundraising efforts, which include a fashion show, she is making sure that the majority of the clothing her models wear are designed by local Pukekohe businesses. “I want to try and keep my fundraising and marketing about ‘buying local’ and appreciating the region that I call home,” she says.
While Miss World NZ is taking up a lot of her time, Imogen also is in the middle of studying towards becoming a paediatric nurse and works at the local Recreation Centre teaching young children how to swim, in order to assist them with disabilities that could have otherwise held them back. “Swimming is a very therapeutic sport.”
Having met some of the other girls competing for Miss World before, Imogen knows that she is not the only busy competitor in the group. “Some of the girls are juggling study and work, but we all have the same goal in mind and we get on really well and support each other. We have built up a very tight sisterhood.”
For now, the aspiring models are working hard in their quest to become Miss World and will find out what title they are awarded on the final night, later on in the year. The overall winner of Miss World will go on to travel to Miss World International, which is said to be filmed in the Philippines this year. “It will get filmed on live Television and marketed on social media, it’s a really big deal and very exciting,” says Imogen.
Historically, 46 Miss World New Zealand finalists have competed at Miss World International and since 1951, when the event began, none of the finalists have won the title, however two have placed first runner-up.
Whether she is placed or not, Imogen is very excited about being part of a group of hard working and motivated women. “This is the chance to make friendships for a lifetime.”
