Delta Zeta’s Womanless Beauty Pageant
On Wednesday, Oct. 4, members of the Frostburg community gathered in the Alice R. Manicure Assembly Hall (ARMAH) in the Lane University Center (LUC) to support Delta Zeta’s event, Womanless. Womanless is a beauty pageant-like competition with a twist: men dress up as women to not only shine a light on the unfortunate reality of domestic violence, but to raise money for the Cumberland Women’s Shelter, as well. Delta Zeta, an on-campus social sorority at FSU, hosts Womanless every year, this year raising about $430 for this particular shelter. Some contestants wore full faces of makeup, wigs, high heels, and sparkly stilettos to try and win the audience over, with efforts to raise the highest number of donations.
Ashley Smith, the Vice President of Programs for Delta Zeta, organized this 8th annual pageant, stating, “I have been planning this event since the end of last semester and continued to plan it throughout summer.”
“The boys had a dance rehearsal a week prior to the event and were expected to practice up until the pageant on Wednesday. We held a dress rehearsal before Womanless, allowing any final kinks to be worked out regarding their routines, costuming, etc. With this being said, the men had an incredible rehearsal which led to an even more incredible event,” mentioned Smith.
Stephanie Claar, the Secretary of Delta Zeta, assisted Smith in MC-ing for the night.
Before the pageant started, the audience sat in darkness while a series of siren noises played every nine seconds. A minute later, the backdrop screen read “Every nine seconds someone is domestically assaulted, totaling in about 6 people per minute.”
Smith mentioned, “Six victims per minute totals to about 9,600 people every day. It’s just mind blowing. We need to bring awareness to this problem, and we need to stand against it. No one, male or female, young or old, should ever go through abuse. Unfortunately, it happens more than we think, so this event allows us to educate the public and raise awareness in a fun way, so to speak.”
The swimwear portion was the first round of the night. Contestants strutted to the end of the runway in bikinis and one-pieces before striking a pose and blowing kisses to the audience. Each of the men tried their best to impress the large crowd, bringing an energetic presence to the stage.
Following the swimwear, contestants showcased their talents on stage. Involving singing, rapping, lip syncing, dancing, playing the electric guitar, and painting.
During intermission, Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI), a musical fraternity for women at FSU, performed two pop songs while contestants ran around collecting donations.
Following intermission, contestants dressed in formal attire to answer a series of questions regarding domestic violence and their role in Womanless.
When Claar asked why Mekhi Jones should win, he exclaimed, “Well, I came to slay, first of all. And I didn’t do this for me or my fraternity, but for all the women out there including my sister and my Mom.”
Reese Barber, a contestant from Phi Mu Alpha (PMA), a musical fraternity for men at FSU, said, “I personally know some victims of domestic violence, so I had a strong desire to participate in this event and make a difference.”
To conclude the event, the contestants were serenaded by the brothers of PMA.
After counting the donations and meeting with the judges, Smith and Claar announced the results:
- Ryan Compton took home “Miss Pink,” for obtaining the highest score from the judges.
- Mekhi Jones took home “Miss Green,” for raising the most amount of money.
- Joe Nadar took home the biggest title, “Miss DZirable,” for raising the most amount of money, combined with obtaining the highest judges score.
Nader, a member of Phi Mu Delta, a social fraternity at FSU, said, “Basically I just wanted to participate and show people that it’s not only fun, but very important as well.”
Other participants included Ryan Moore, Gabe Harper, Tyler Steele, and Reese Barber.
- Womanless will be returning to FSU in 2018 to continue to spread awareness about domestic violence and raise money for the Cumberland Women’s Shelter.
If you or a peer are victims of domestic violence, please check out the resources listed below.
Campus Resources:
Brady Health Center
(301)-687-4310
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS)
Sand Spring Hall, Room 101
(301)-687-4234
Dr. April Baer, Deputy Title IX Coordinator
Office of Gender Equity, Hitchins Administration Building, Room 126
(301)-687-3035
Off Campus Resources:
Family Crisis Resource Center
146 Bedford St. Cumberland, MD
Hotline- (301)-759-9244
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799.SAFE (7233)
thehotline.org
See more photos at the Womanless Beauty Pageant Photo Gallery.
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