PROMOTING SELF-ESTEEM:
Natalie Anderson will be representing Fredericton in the upcoming Mrs. Canada competition, set for June 19-22 in London, Ont.

(The Daily Gleaner/DAVE SMITH PHOTO)

As published in the Daily Gleaner | News - Other page A8 on April 22, 2003

Capital woman gives pageant second try

HEATHER MACCALLUM
The Daily Gleaner

After the experience of competing in the Mrs. Canada International pageant last year left her feeling insecure and intimidated, Natalie Anderson was convinced her pageant days were behind her.

Happily married with a communications career she loves, Anderson, 28, was exploring the issues she was passionate about and planning to become more involved in the community when the current Mrs. Canada invited her to compete again this year.

She said she was told that if she applied and was accepted, she would be granted a city title with a crown and sash and could spend the year making a difference in the community.

"This is something new that I thought was great, because I could pick a platform I was passionate about and could spread the word," she said.

"I used to think that the Mrs. Canada International was a pageant about marriage, but it's simply one that women who are married participate in. The difference is that it's not just about wardrobe or talent. Each of the contestants has a platform that she wants to promote and raise awareness about."

Recently crowned Mrs. Fredericton International, Anderson is working to gather sponsorships to fund flights, registration fees and her wardrobe for the Mrs. Canada International pageant in June. But she remains focused on the platform that is close to her heart: self-esteem.

Anderson said she was raised in an abusive home and that self-esteem is an issue she has battled her whole life. Becoming involved in the pageant again this year is a chance for her to get the message out there to other people and challenge herself, she said.

"Getting involved with the pageant was a way for me to motivate myself to keep positive and have a good attitude. Last year, when I walked into a room of drop-dead gorgeous women, I wondered what I was doing there.

So this year is a challenge I am giving myself. I want to go and I want to feel equal," she said. "If I won Mrs. Canada, that would be awesome because I would be able to really make a difference, but it's not all about that this year. It's about feeling self-confident and coming back feeling like I gave 110 percent and had an awesome time."

Being crowned Mrs. Fredericton has already opened up doors for Anderson as companies are interested in supporting her. Various organizations have already invited her to take part in fund-raisers and ceremonies and she has been booked to facilitate a workshop on self-esteem in October.

"Win, or lose and come home Mrs. Fredericton, I feel so fortunate that I have been given an opportunity in my own community to get information about self-esteem out there," she said. "I was disappointed last year, not in the experience, but in myself. And I am happy that this year I have another chance."

By the end of the year, whether she is spreading the message on a national scale or simply in her own backyard, Anderson said she hopes she can make a difference in someone's life and perhaps give him or her another perspective.

"I would like people to see that self-esteem doesn't just exist, it is something they have control over. They choose to be a positive thinker or an optimist and can choose to feel good about themselves," she said.

The Mrs. Canada International Pageant will be held in London, Ont. from June 19-22.