Michelle

Proving Petite Isn't Short On Poise And Appeal

About 25 contestants have signed up for the Connecticut pageant, organized by Chimhina's Petite Destination. Most are from Greater Hartford. All entrants in the pageant's two divisions -Miss (ages 13 to 18) and Ms. (19 to 29) - must be under 5 feet 6. Chimhina, a business architect at Aetna, attracted contestants by advertising online and through her website, [Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register].

Contestants will be judged in the following categories: evening gown, one-on-one interview with judges, on-stage interviews and sportswear (Miss) or swimwear (Ms.).

There won't be a talent competition.

"We don't want the girls to be limited to things they can only do on the stage," said Chimhina.

Sitting on a couch in her home office in New Britain, Chimhina looks the part of a beauty princess: glowing skin, high cheekbones, perfect poise. She said she has been competing in pageants since she was a 9-year-old growing up in Zimbabwe. She used to pack her evening gowns when she traveled, in case there was a pageant to enter.

Last year, she competed in the Miss Black Universe pageant, won the Ms. Petite Zimbabwe competition, was first runner-up in the Miss Zimbabwe USA pageant and finished fourth in the Miss Petite International pageant. Her pageant earnings for the year totaled about $10,000, she said.

The road to winning a crown isn't always smooth.

"Sometimes the color of your skin matters. Other times it's the height," Chimhina said. "I know how it feels to be discriminated against. I've literally been told, `You're not going to make the pageant because you're too short.'"

Carl Dunn, CEO of Pageantry magazine, has judged beauty pageants for 30 years, most recently the Mrs. World competition. He said no pageant will disqualify an entrant based on height but that there are fewer opportunities for women under 5 feet 6.

"With petite models, you're taking a redefined demographic within a defined demographic," he said. "That'd be like taking women 18 to 25 and then saying, `I just want the brunettes.'"

The question remains: Can Miss Petite Connecticut become a model?

The answer within the modeling industry is a resounding yes - as long as they stay away from the runway.

Eli Shamsi, director of Blush Model Management in Southbury, said there is plenty of work in commercials and print advertising, which don't share the fashion industry's height requirement.

"If they have a nice look and a nice body, they'll get a job," he said.

Blush recently started a petite division and looks for models who are between 5 feet 4 and 5 feet 6, well proportioned, who have a small bone frame, are attractive and can interact with the camera.

"We are very picky in terms of whom we select," Shamsi said. "There are women out there who are 5 feet tall and very, very wide. That does not qualify them to be a model."

Tina Kiniry, president of John Casablancas of Connecticut, a modeling school and agency that is a sponsor of the Miss Petite pageant, said she has represented petite models in Connecticut who have been very successful landing local work.

"The modeling industry in general is much more diverse than it ever used to be. There's a need for a variety of types," Kiniry said. "But when it comes down to supermodels, they haven't changed much."

The Miss and Ms. Petite Connecticut beauty pageant is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the Aetna auditorium at 151 Farmington Ave., Hartford. Tickets are $20 in advance, $30 at the door. For more information, visit [Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register], or call 860-834-0520 or 860-259-5927.

Contact Courtney McLeod at [Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register].