Coming to Stage: Miss Thicker than a Snicker Pageant 2021

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along’.” This quote by former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt perfectly entails the spirit and purpose behind Southern University’s Miss Thicker Than a Snicker Pageant, which celebrates the beauty and confidence of plus-size women.
The Annual Miss Thicker than a Snicker Pageant was held on Thursday, February 11, 2021, through a livestream on Youtube due to social distance measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. This year, Southern’s Student Government Association representatives of the class of 2021 headed and coordinated the event. Nykera Dixon, Senior Class Vice President, stated “Miss Thicker than a Snicker is a pageant that is to empower women who are not your average size. They are not your typical models, they’re not what you look for in what you would think a queen is, but they are a queen nonetheless. This pageant is to showcase the beauty in being unique and being different, both physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
This year the pageant had two contestants, who made glamorous displays with their different outfits, talents, and personalities. Ladesyaonna Coney was named Miss Congeniality, with Shayla Johnson being crowned The 2021 Miss Thicker Than a Snicker. When asked what she plans to do with this title, Johnson stated that she plans on focusing on amplifying the voices and healing of sexual assault victims, primarily here on Southern University’s campus. Johnson also stated that she learned a lot from this pageant experience, with her main lesson being to “really just to be how you are.”
Through all the difficulties presented to the Class of 2021 when putting on this event, due to the current crisis, they were still able to coordinate as any other group of hosts have. Emanee Drake, Senior Class President, reflects on the event, saying, “This year was really trying… we all as SGA and a cabinet keep on pushing forward and we do not let our circumstances weigh us down.” Congratulations are in order to both contestants.