By: Quinn Teechma
Make no mistake, being a queen is not all about standing there and looking pretty for the camera. At the end of the day, what matters most is building your confidence so you can represent yourself in a positive, healthy, and beautiful way.
But even in the best of circumstances, life conspires against our better selves. The good news is that the last two years have taught us that we can power through anything. But to make 2022 a breakthrough year, we’ll have to be extra vigilant, work hard, and stay strong for each other. My personal goal is to be the kind of woman who fixes another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked. Here’s how I’ll do it:
Stay Motivated
Pageants, like life, are competitive. But a lot of us get the idea that life is a zero-sum game, that other people’s success will have a negative effect on our own. Our motivation then flows from a negative rather than a positive place. Which is stressful! The actor Jaden Smith talks about standing in the dark and looking for a staircase to light up. Every time you take a step in the dark you cause a stair to light up. Sometimes you’ll come across other people and maybe you’ll see they’ve lit a stair higher than you. So it’s all about sharing the illumination and understanding that we can climb higher together than by hogging our own little staircases. In other words, motivate yourself by being a light for others.
Work Out With Intention
I believe in always focusing on health and happiness. I want to fall in love with my body, just as my photography helps other women fall in love with theirs. One way that I love my body is by working out. Recently, I’ve been doing the Chloe Ting shred challenge HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts, as well as Johana So’s YouTube workouts in the mornings. Both are great ways to get your heart going and your mindset on point. An added plus is that they’ll kickstart your metabolism for the rest of the day.
In the evenings I’ve been doing a weight routine that my old trainer created for me at home. Since they moved away, my gym opened up again so I’ve been creating a new routine with a trainer there. Just being back in a gym after all of the lockdowns feels amazing. Every workout now starts with gratitude.
Before and while you work out, it’s so important to have an intention like this. I think positive affirmations all the time: “I got this!” I can do this and I will! I am a strong woman!” It’s exciting to see positive results in the mirror, but it’s equally important to remember that even small steps of accomplishments are important and should be celebrated. Feel self-praise for seeing the positive results of your hard work and try not to entertain any negative thoughts or self-doubt. With the right intention, a workout will melt stress away, not create new anxieties. Remember: this is your time to focus on yourself and love your body.
Be Body Positive
Aren’t all beauty queens body dysmorphic? Not this one! Being body positive may not be automatic for everyone but it always comes down to having an abundantly positive mindset. Fall in love with yourself one affirmation at a time and one photo at a time. Practice self-love and positive self-talk on a daily basis. It isn’t always easy and it’s something that takes time. So be patient.
And see yourself in the best possible light. Find a boudoir photographer who is right for you, one who can open up a new perspective on yourself and help you see the beauty of your body as it is. The right photog will help a woman of any shape or size fall back in love with her body without having to stress out or take endless selfies just to get one half-decent shot. The right photographer should know the best poses and all of those fierce queen angles. You should walk away from your photo session feeling pampered and like your best queen self!
Healthy Eating
As much as 80% of fitness is diet. I’m fortunate that my mom prepared whole, organic foods when I was young but now that I’m an adult it’s a lot harder to avoid unhealthy food habits. So this year, my studio partner and I are motivating each other to eat clean. Often we’ll prepare a chicken breast, brown rice or quinoa, and a green vegetable for dinner. For lunch, we’ll have some kind of salad or Buddha bowl. Smoothies or oatmeal and fruit are terrific breakfast options. Stay away from processed foods and be a healthy queen, inside and out!
Quinn Teechma is a Miss Universe Canada 2022 Finalist and a Miss Canadian Tourism International. During the pandemic, she quit her bartending job to become a full-time women’s empowerment boudoir photographer. Her handle is @queenstudiosyyc and her website is https://www.queenstudiosyyc.com/quinnteechma.
