When Mesina Jones Alvarez first competed in pageants on the Columbus church circuit as a teenager, most of the competition was about putting on a pretty dress and performing some kind of talent.
But when Alvarez returned to the pageant stage in May for the Ms. Full-Figured Georgia pageant, she found something she could put her heart into.
“I had just buried my father in October, and I really needed something to put my energy and effort into,” Alvarez said. “So I was thinking that I could pick a social cause close to my heart. I lost my father to cancer. So I said, I’ll do it. Even if I don’t win, I’ll be able to shed some light and gain some more knowledge on cancer.”
Alvarez grew up in Columbus, with deep family ties to the city. Alvarez is the granddaughter of the late Sallie Mae Jones, former owner of Jones Restaurant, and niece of Helen Karriem, owner of Helen’s Kitchen.
She attended Columbus High School, East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State University before she moved to Georgia for work in 2008.
Five years ago, Alvarez started working for the non-emergency medical transportation division of Medicaid. At the time, she fully believed her pageant days were behind her. At least, until a friend let her know about Ms. Full-Figured Georgia.
“I was sitting at my desk one day, and a friend of mine sent this flier to me and suggested that I try this pageant out for Full Figured Queen,” Alvarez said. “But I said, ‘oh, they won’t pick me for that. I’m too old.’ I was thinking of all kinds of excuses.”
Alvarez said she was initially hesitant to jump into the competition, since she is 47 years old. But the pageant’s focus on body positivity, and showcasing beauty in all shapes and sizes, helped her to overcome some of her fears.
According to the Ms. Full-Figured Georgia website, the state level of the pageant began in 2008, with the mission to build self-confidence in women. The national Ms. Full-Figured USA pageant started in 1989, Alvarez said.
To be eligible for the Georgia pageant, delegates are required to be of good moral character, and they must possess, “grace, elegance, social skills and etiquette.” Delegates are also required to be size 12 and up, between the ages of 18-60, and complete 40 hours of community service, along with a few other requirements.
In January, Alvarez started training for the pageant, since Ms. Full Figured Georgia was much more involved than the previous pageants she had competed in. Her life became a “whirlwind” of vocal coaching, choreograph lessons, modeling workshops, walking workshops, and other preparation for the different categories in the competition.
“Pageantry is not for the weak,” Alvarez said. “If anyone thought it was just glitz and glam and pretty dresses, they’re sadly mistaken.”
Alvarez said the Georgia pageant included a talent portion, evening gown portion, swimwear portion, a question and answer interview portion and more. The part that made her the most nervous, at first, was the swimwear portion.
But once Alvarez was on stage, she said, a lot of the nerves went away. Soon, she was enjoying the competition, especially getting to share her platform on breast cancer awareness with other women in the audience.
To support her goal, Alvarez said, she has created a website, mesinafoundation.org, where men and women can sign up for monthly self-examination reminders in their email. She also distributes shower hanger reminders, so people can physically see if they’ve remembered to check for breast cancer, since early detection is crucial. She also made t-shirts for raising awareness for breast cancer, she said, and even shirts with funny sayings for breast cancer survivors, like, “Yes, these boobs are fake, the real ones tried to kill me.”
At the end of the pageant, Alvarez said, she and the other women waited while an announcer called out the winners of different subcategories.
She took home the Ms. Congeniality award, and she wasn’t expecting when the announcer called her name for the second time, naming her “Ms. Exquisite Full-Figured Georgia 2024.”
“I couldn’t believe they had called my name,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said winning the title means she will be going on to nationals next year, which she is already training for. The title has also helped Alvarez in a few other ways, including opening up doors for her to meet other pageant queens in her state and raising her self confidence.
“I really appreciate the platform they gave me, just for my self-confidence and boosting my self-pride and just loving myself more,” Alvarez said. “I am so appreciative of that journey that I’ve had. And it wasn’t easy, and I’m glad that it wasn’t, because nothing easy is worth having.”
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