Confidence and creativity on the runway stage

All eyes in the room are on sophomore Janice Lin. She walks down the runway in hoop earrings, a black leather jacket over a cropped white shirt, blue denim shorts held together by a glittering silver belt and black high heels—her head lifted high and her posture straight. When she finally reaches the center of the stage, Lin holds her breath as she waits for the pageant judges’ criteria. 

As a young runway model, Lin regularly competes in beauty pageants—exhibitions where contestants are scored and ranked based on a number of factors such as their makeup, style, walk and speech. Her most recent pageant experience was the 2025 Miss Asia International Pageant, where she received an award of “Most Excellent” for her walking style. 

“The experience was really exciting,” Lin said. “It was a bit scary because there’s a lot of judges there that I didn’t know and I couldn’t see anyone either, but [pageants] helped me gain a lot more confidence in myself.” 

Lin’s involvement in pageants stemmed from her passion for makeup and fashion. To her, they aren’t just superficial aspects of appearance—they are crucial forms of expression. For this reason, Lin enjoys doing her own makeup for pageants, even though pageant contestants are typically offered the choice of having a professional makeup artist complete their look. 

“I just think makeup brings out your natural features so well and is what resembles you the most,” Lin said. “With fashion, I think it’s all about what suits your body type and personal style the best—not just what’s in trend.” 

Before getting dressed and doing her makeup, Lin must arrive on site early to run through her walk and speech rehearsals for the pageant. This is because judges are also considering the contestants based on their confidence in speech, delivering them a random prompt while on stage and having them answer accordingly on the spot. 

“The question that I got was, ‘Define beauty in your own way,’” Lin said. “I said that beauty comes from the inside and not how you are from the outside. So, if you treat others well, then it shows that you’re beautiful inside and not just about how you present externally.” 

Lin’s pageant journey began when she became involved with the modeling agency M3-JMK Modeling located in Rowland Heights. The modeling school taught her basic requirements for professional modeling and pageantry and eventually recommended her to apply for different pageant contests. 

“When I first started, I felt like I wasn’t going to belong,” Lin said. “I felt like modeling wasn’t going to be for me, but I still wanted to try it out.” 

Lin’s boyfriend, sophomore Eason Huo, supports her from the sidelines by watching her pageant walk videos and encouraging her. 

“I’m proud of how she’s always trying her best,” Huo said. “She’s always learning for the better. I hope she continues to get more awards and get more well-known.” 

Despite the typically extravagant atmosphere of pageants, Lin notes that toxic pageant expectations and the competitive environment can make her doubt herself. 

“I remember my parents were like, ‘Look at how that girl walks’ so I tried to make myself more like [the girl on stage],” Lin said. “But comparing myself to others also made me want to improve myself more and work harder.” 

Lin still appreciates her parents’ constant support. She looks forward to seeing them at all of her shows and practices, and she has learned to focus on her own strengths and confidence at pageants instead of excessively comparing herself to those around her. 

“I just keep telling myself that what really matters is what I think about myself, rather than what other people think,” Lin said. “I want to walk with pride and just pay attention to my own steps.”