Hello everyone! My this week has been more than a hectic one to say the least. Sask fashion show is happening currently which is exciting in the world of fashion in the prairies and all us fashion loving folk.

Today I would like to share a frustration about my city. Don’t get me wrong, Regina is a good city that has kept me entertained for my young life here but the lack of support never ceases to amaze me. The mayor contacted me back saying that they could not offer me any form of sponsorship for the pageant and did not know of anyone who could….that’s my town. For those of you who aren’t aware the mayor’s daughter is the head director of Sask Fashion Week and the Mayor has pored tones of money into funding the entire project. As a model myself and my model friends who walk in the shows and help graduate excitement for the industry with Sask Fashion Week, I am a full supporter of it and what it means to the prairies. However that being said I find it disheartening my own city will not lend a dime to a leader in their community representing their community on a global scale especially since my Mayor is directly involved in the fashion industry as well.

Sponsorship in Regina has been a doosie to say the least which is not making this journey an easy one. Luckily I have been hard at work planning and organizing events to fund raise this past week and look forward to hosting a variety show later this month as well as a stake night and a car wash in the next few months. I think I’m writing about my frustration today because I met with my modeling agency director from Calgary today who said out of all 15 photographers in Regina none of them would shoot for her and after a venue cancelled for a shoot not even a hotel or restaurant would open their doors for an internationally renowned company. In Victoria when my agency did a model search there the city gave them a plaque and the whole community welcomed them and they don’t even have an office there. To me as such a community person this is extremely disheartening as well as humiliating seeing as Saskatchewan is supposed to be known for hospitality.

It feels awful being Miss Teen Regina when your own city doesn’t even acknowledge you or support you and you feel like just as much as a foreigner as your agency director from Vancouver and Calgary. This being said there are great people in Regina and there are small groups of community but I think this frustration and discouragement has made me decide to do something about it. As of now if anyone ever needs anything from Regina please come talk to me. Pitch a tent in my backyard, ask me for help when your car needs a boost, if you want someone to watch your soccer game because you need a cheerleader please call, and if you need sponsorship to follow your dreams I will help you fund raise until we are both rolling around in money because I choose to solely represent the hospitality and support Regina needs to have.

I think that’s my rant of frustration for today but honestly if there is ever a chance to help someone in your community that needs it please do. You never know how much a small thing to you can impact someone else’s life and everyone should have support from someone. Go see a community show, meet new people, support a group out of your usual zone and go make a community. I’m starting one in Regina as of now and I hope one day the Mayor looks back and wishes he would have stepped in because the girl he didn’t support shaped his city into a community. Be a leader and stay beautiful.

xoxo

-Danyelle Dreger

Hello everyone! Today I would like to share a story that happened to me this morning. I would like to start off by saying that my life has always been a little unconventional and that my blog is most likely very different from the other girls. That being said my mother had my older sister when she was sixteen after being raped which was a fantastic start to her adulthood life and my future (heavy sarcasm). She later met my dad and conceived me four years later and my brother two years after that. This being said both of my parents have yet to hit forty and we all share the journey of growing up together. My mother has terminal health issues and so she cannot work and so my whole life my father has provided for us three children as a fiber glass-er (not a lot of income at all). When I was six we moved to our first home in Regina North Central. In case your not familiar with Regina residents it is the lower class neighborhood everyone who doesn’t live there is scared to go into.

A lot of things have happened over the coarse of my life growing up which have given me great life lessons and an outstanding grasp of the world. This morning was just one of those lessons for me. This morning my brother was teaching me how to change a flat tire on my street when we heard a woman yelling at a man as they were coming around the block. This was no surprise because people often yell at each other on my street. It was when the woman started sprinting down the block and directly into my home I took notice of the situation and instantly my brother and I engaged onto the scene. The door to the inside of my house was closed so the two of them were in my porch physically handling each other and yelling bits about calling the police and wanting their money. I calmly opened my front door and asked them to move the exhibit off the property as my brother called the police because the woman demanded we call authorities or she would not leave. My mom opened the door to see what was going on and together we defused them enough to move to our lawn as we waited for the police. Everything was calm until one of them said the wrong thing and the woman this time was the first to take a shot at the man. She then chased him down the block leaving her purse behind. We didn’t see them again but when the police officers showed up they opened her bag and inside were heroine needles and condoms.

(My brother and I in front of our house today)

The police officers told us they would patrol the area to look for them and we are talked about the event very light heartedly. I wanted to share this because a lot of people don’t believe that I live in the ghetto of Regina. I went to a private Christian academy as a child, attended the “rich” high school, have nice things that I’ve worked hard for and have a future ahead of me. As a contender of Miss Teen Canada-World I think it’s important to share these things and our imperfections so that us as role models become relatable. Most of my blogging will most likely be me sharing my struggles on this journey and sharing my imperfections and my non conventional life. I feel like sometimes some girls volunteer their time to organizations they can’t fully relate to or because it looks good or feels good. (Don’t get me wrong there is absolutely nothing wrong with those reasons) I just feel great full that Miss Teen Canada has forced me to make community a priority. I am an avid volunteer with the food bank and am currently on the planning comity for a large fundraiser we will be doing this summer. For me I completely relate to the people I volunteer for because some of them are my neighbors and I’m sure my family has been in a spot just like them before.

My life is no different than anyone else’s, it has ups and downs. I’m sure normal to me is a little different to me than to others because dealing with things like prostitution, home invasions, fighting and hunger are day to day occurrences to me. I want to let people know that there is a girl from the ghetto with a prospect to become Miss Teen Canada-World and share the real raw stories of my life so people can benefit and relate and understand that where you come from doesn’t determine where you are going and that no situation is one to fear because people are all people and when it comes down to it we are all on the same level no one less than the other. Some of my neighbors are fantastic people and although it may not be my ideal neighborhood at times I have grown into a good woman there and am thankful for it.

(My brother taking a picture of me on our jog today after the event enjoying the fantastic weather.)

This has been a Saturday in the life of Miss Teen Regina-World and although it may not relate to most of you I encourage you to never fear people that look beneath your social standing or look down on them. Try your best not to judge anyone because you don’t know their story. People assume I’m a well off girl from an expensive put together neighborhood because of how I present myself just like people assume homeless people are lazy or spend all of their money on drugs. The moral of my blog today is read the book before you judge the cover, or at least get an outline of the synopsis. Today was a beautiful day and I hope you all had wonderful life experiences too.

xoxo

Danyelle Dreger

Hello everyone!

Sorry I missed my weekend posting but my computer broke and so in a desperate attempt to not leave you hanging im currently posting off of my phone. (Please pardon all spelling and gramatical errors.) I am currently waiting to hear back from the Mayor about sponsorship because he had to approach the council but the meeting in general went well. This little beauty queen might get to appear at the Grey Cup being held in my city Regina this year! How exciting. Crazy op opprotunities like this only happen with Miss Teen Canada-World I’m certain.

This weekend I was in Saskatoon with my Saskatchewan girls shooting a calendar we’re selling for fundraising efforts. It was the most fun I’ve had in a bit and it felt awesome to just have a fun shoot with a great group of friends and bond for a weekend. Jill’s family hosted us (miss teen sask) and they were the most welcoming and considerate family ever. I woke up to a full set out breakfast, they drove us around and came to help with the shoot all day as well as provided lunch and let all seven of us sleep over. Hospitality to me should always be recognized so thats why I mention it and am continually greatful for their family’s hospitality and generousity. Next year I will be cheerleading for the University of Saskatchewan with Jill and I know we’re going to do great things together there. I am so happy Miss Teen Canada has introduced me to great girls with common goals and passions in life and that in situations of chance like Jill and I, I already have a good friend in university to connect with through this.

I cannot wait for our calendars to go on sale and by the sounds of it all my Sask girls are effecting their communities and using their titles in a very positive light. I cannot upload pictures from my phone but ill try post a sneak peak as soon as possible!

Xoxo

-Danyelle Dreger

This is the first thing I’ve wanted to say and send out since being crowned in February, but just haven’t found the right way to approach it until this blog. I’ll start by saying I’ve always dreamed of being a princess. My classmates will attest that every year for career spirit day I would come to school in a dress and tiara and say “I want to be a princess when I grow up.” Unfortunately between the age of 9 and 13 a stage that some of us come across in life hit me pretty bad, prepubescence. I’ve had people describe me as looking like a butter ball turkey, directly call me fat, make fun of my weight and laugh at me. Of coarse none of the boys ever liked me because I was athletic, very smart, a try hard and a goody too shoes. This made them feel insecure about themselves I’m sure, but my looks were the biggest reason in reality. In the locker room girls would be comparing their cup sizes and flat stomachs and I would look down at my virtually flat chest and roles directly underneath. Elementary was hard for me to say the least.

(I’ve destroyed all photos any further back in time than this including yearbooks because I hated myself so much. This me at approximately 13 when I am already well out of my worst stages)

In high school something fantastic happened….puberty! I have always been a late bloomer but I started growing taller and thinning out. Playing competitive hockey and competitive cheer leading at the same time was excruciatingly exhausting but my fitness definitely improved immensely. This helped me thin out even more and so no one in high school ever knew about my weight issues and the hurt I still had inside of me. It’s taken me a long time to truly believe I am beautiful the way I was made, it just happened this year at 18 actually. People up until this year still constantly poked fun at my non existent chest as well as my wide set hips, and even though I wasn’t fat anymore I could never win. Then all of that changed. A modeling agency contacted me and told me I was beautiful. The people the world had made me believe would pick me apart even more then they had were the only ones to ever say that to me besides my mom. As I started doing shoots and becoming something the comments stopped, because society had put me up as the role model for beauty and what they had mocked had now become the ideal. The boys that mocked me now try contact me because I did become a princess and they dropped out of school and never became the firefighter or policeman they dressed up as for spirit day. The girls who made fun of my size are now twice my size and they all look up to me because I accomplished my dreams and society told them they were wrong.

Some people say the fashion industry puts a negative view on real beauty and real woman. I believe they have their concept mistaken. High fashion models are the girls who are tall, awkwardly thin, have no chests and often have gaped teeth, freckles, a funny nose or some other “odd quark”. The industry has chosen these girls to showcase their clothing because with their awkward height they can showcase an outfit way better than a short girl can. And with height comes lankiness and skinniness and so measurements are small because that’s how the majority of these girls are naturally made, which accommodates the designers trying to showcase their clothes better. Their are hundreds of girls doing one runway show that often have to share clothes and all have to fit the same size and that is why their is limits to sizes. So that everyone is the same and can fit the same size. Fashion models are not about self glamour, they are about showcasing fashion and being a part of art. They are one of hundreds on the same runway that all look like clones and so it is not about the individual attention because their is none.

(This is a picture from my most recent shoot for Numa International with Coda clothing line)

The fashion industry has taught me I am beautiful believe it or not. You can model at whatever size you are. Their are no limits in commercial modeling and their is plus size fashion modeling and really there is a spot for every woman! It is true I will be an internationally signed model shorty and I am one of those tall skinny girls who people have this concept is the “ideal” size for a woman, but I will always be that chubby girl in my heart. I have gone from comments of pity and disgust to comments of desire and jealousy. When I see a large person at the gym it makes me smile inside because they are putting an effort into their personal health. Not because a certain size makes you beautiful but because a healthy heart is a happy one and everyone has a size they feel most beautiful at.

My message from this is that size does not make a person beautiful, a person makes a person beautiful. People think that is easy of me to say because I’m a model and a pageant winner and fit what they see as societies “ideal”, but they don’t know that my whole life I was overweight and ridiculed even by extended family every day of my life. Everyone laughed when I showed up as a princess every year for career day but my heart was so invested all my life that my laughable career came true, and I am a princess now through Miss Teen Canada-World. I get to be a leader and share my story with a thousand other girls who were or are still just like I was. Sure not all of you will have the ugly duckling story and turn into a fashion model but I do hope that I can be someone to look up to on whatever goal you are on personally, or if you need someone to believe in that proves karma is real. If you believe in your dreams with all of your heart and never settle for less in life you will obtain it. Whether it is a career or a weight loss goal. I am Miss Teen Regina-World 2013 and I was beautiful when I was nine years old at 140lbs and I am beautiful today when I am 18 at 130lbs. The good news? Whatever number you currently sit at, you are too and you best believe it.

xoxo

-Danyelle Dreger

Hello everyone! It is great to be able to write about all the fantastic experiences and adventures I am having through the Miss Teen Canada-World Pageant and share them with you. I was crowned Miss Teen Regina-World 2013 in late February and went straight to work on how to be as productive with my title as possible so that no minute of this year will go to waste. Unfortunately that means things like setting up my blog took a back seat, but only a backseat to being active in the community which I hope is forgivable. I am here now and I love to write so I can promise you wont be let down now that I have this thing up and running! In a recap since February I contacted the Regina Food Bank and have been actively volunteering with them, contacted the local library and offered to help plan a “Princess Day” to encourage reading as well as being princesses, done a photo shoot for one of my sponsors that will be advertised online and across the city, set up group fundraising ideas with my Saskatchewan girls like selling a delegates calendar with all of us on it and having them all come down to do a huge Sask girls fundraising car wash together, and I am meeting with the Mayor today to discuss sponsorship as well as how we can team up and put my title to the best use possible in Regina. These are not all of the things happening and accomplished but I feel my list is dragging on and you will learn more of the cool stuff as I write overtime and they come to pass. I want to say so far I am most happy and excited about the way my Saskatchewan girls have come together as a team. I feel like if there was a province sportsmanship award it should go to my girls because we are close genuine friends and support each other on our journeys with no sense of cattiness or competition. We are all meeting up in Saskatoon in two weeks to shoot our calendar and have all pulled different strings from across the province to set it up as well as to help benefit each other in other fundraisers we’re planning together. We all drive across the province to meet up and help each other and bring whatever connections we can to make sure we can all go to Toronto this summer as a team. As a girl from a single income family that has to be financially self reliant I am eternally grateful for my Sask girls and my idea of pageants have been forever changed because of them. Good old prairie love. On that note I will end this first post with love to my girls and an overview of what I’ve been up to with my title. It is all very exciting and I will let you know how my meeting with the Mayor pans out this afternoon!

xoxo

-Danyelle Dreger