Miss New York USA to Change the Face of Pageants in Westchester

Pageantry in Westchester is not the portrait of over-indulged children and their hairpiece-wielding parents that can be seen on TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras.”

The megahit show portrays the bedazzled underbelly of the “glitz” pageant scene, a popular trend in the South and Midwest. Here in the Northeast, the competition is still fierce but modern: New York pageants have become more fashionable, career-oriented and refined as a form of competition.

Local county pageants include Miss Westchester, Miss Westchester Teen, as well as Miss Hudson Valley and Miss Hudson Valley Teen. These hyper-local pageants will be held at the on Sunday, Sept. 4, with White Plains Patch serving as a media judge for the photogenic and style awards.

The winners of these competitions matriculate to the Miss New York USA or the Miss New York Teen USA pageants.

A press conference hosted at of the in White Plains Tuesday announced that the Miss New York USA and Miss New York Teen USA pageants would be held at the Performing Arts Center of SUNY Purchase—the first time a state pageant has been held in Westchester County in more than 30 years.

Assemblyman Robert J. Castelli, who will host the upcoming Miss New York USA pageant, rallied for public support at the event.

“We’re here to represent some of Westchester’s finest: both our brightest and our most beautiful,” he said. “It will bring in a tremendous amount of posterity to the county; we’ll bring in revenue, we’ll bring in tourism.” 

Keith Lewis, Co-Executive Director of Miss New York USA, had a winning run in the California pageant circuit. He sees West Coast potential in Westchester County. He says bringing the pageant to Westchester will offer a $3 million boost to the local economy.

“Westchester attracted me for the same reason California did, which is the diversity,” he said. “When I came to Westchester I found it had everything the state has to offer, here in this county and close to it."

Also present at the conference were the reigning Miss USA, Alyssa Campanella, along with Miss New York Teen Lisa Drouillard, Miss Westchester Christina DeLeon and Miss Westchester Teen Samantha Gold.

The young women —draped in form-fitting ensembles, feet perched on glittering platforms—seemed to exemplify the “fashion forward” direction New York pageants are heading toward.

“New York is known for modeling and fashion so, right away, when you’re in a New York pageant you know it’s the best of the best,” said Drouillard.

Many girls hope that a foray into pageantry will lead to more lucrative life opportunities. Pageants are no longer held purely to judge beauty or, in the case of Miss America, for scholarship and prestige. Titleholders become public figures, runner-ups score major network interviews. 

“For people who are aspiring to be models or actresses, this is a segue,” DeLeon said.