Vandna Patel isn't a fan of beauty pageants - so it came as a real surprise when she entered Miss India NZ 2024. Photo: Supplied
Vandna Patel isn't a fan of beauty pageants - so it came as a surprise when the 27-year-old engineer decided to put her hand up for Miss India NZ 2024.
The competition, organised by events and film production company Rhythm House, is in its 22nd year and prides itself on being "more than just a beauty pageant". Organisers say the contest aims to celebrate the unique identity of Kiwi Indian culture and offers a variety of development workshops designed to empower and inspire the young women who enter.
Patel, who holds a prominent role in the healthcare tech industry, entered on a whim after spotting an online ad in July. She saw it as an opportunity to platform some important issues in her Gujarati-Indian community - including sexism and colourism - and show off her talent as an artist.
Patel's artwork showcases the beauty of dark-skinned Indian women. Photo: Supplied
"I don't necessarily agree with pageants, the origin of them still seem quite rooted in patriarchy, but it was advertised as being all about culture and diversity and our Indian New Zealand experience.
"Brown women come in such great colours and sizes and that deserves to be celebrated and empowered, I thought it would be a good opportunity to showcase that, so I signed up."
Two months of stage rehearsals, modelling, talent and personal interviews followed, all in preparation for a final showcase at Auckland's SkyCity Theatre in September.
Photo: Jasmin Sheikh
Patel had gone into the pageant expecting some pressure - but she didn't realise just how much the competition would affect her.
Suddenly, all she could think about was how she walked, posed, and smiled. Outfit choices became a closely guarded secret, first impressions meant everything, and there was little room for error.
A few weeks out from the pageant, a promotional poster featuring all the contestants was released - instead of feeling excitement, Patel's first response was "disappointment".
Photo: Supplied
"They had these pictures that 100 percent felt very lightened. It took me a minute to find myself on it, which is a bit telling. I was a little bit disappointed by that.
"I think everyone was just evened out a bit too much with similar skin tones, like within three shades of each other on the Fenty makeup line."
A spokesperson for the event confirmed to RNZ that the pictures had not been intentionally lightened for any reason other than to ensure consistent lighting and presentation.
Patel concedes that it probably wasn't a conscious choice.
"I can't imagine them being like, 'fair is more beautiful so let's lighten them all up', but I think it's just inherently ingrained in us to unconsciously think, 'this looks better', without acknowledging what it means perhaps."
Images from the same photoshoot as that of the promotional poster. Photo: Supplied
A spokesperson for the pageant said this year's competition sought contestants who could "represent the Kiwi Indian community with pride and distinction".
When she entered the pageant, Patel felt her convictions would help her stand out.
A pre-judging session was held one day before the main event, in which judges briefly met each contestant.
In her five-minute session, Patel spoke passionately about her accomplishments.
"I'm the president of women in technical roles at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, we have over 340 women and we focus on empowering them personally and professionally, doing mentoring series and tackling workplace bias and all that sort of thing.
"I also talked about my art, which centres around dark-skinned brown women with different body shapes, because I think it's quite important."
She thought she'd spoken well, but the judges' response wasn't quite what she had expected.
"At the end they asked me a question, something along the lines of, how does it feel being one of the shortest contestants here.
"That was a hurtful moment because I felt like all of my accomplishments were kind of diminished. There were no questions about why I'm striving for the things I do, I feel like they could only see me for my height."
When questioned by RNZ, a spokesperson for the judging panel said the remark was "a casual question related to confidence and overcoming personal challenges".
"Vandna had mentioned insecurities about her appearance. In this context, a judge asked how she felt about being one of the shortest contestants.
"Vandna responsed confidently, stating she felt secure in her own skin. At the time, she didn't appear offended."
Photo: Jasmin Sheikh
Growing up, Patel says she was met with backlash any time she tried to question some of the outdated ways of thinking within her community.
"I grew up with a lot of odd comments and scrutiny about how I looked, my appearance, all those types of things. If I tried to challenge it, it was always seen as me being disrespectful.
"If I had an opinion that highlighted a problem in the Indian community, if I talked about colourism, sexism within our own culture, I felt like I wasn't heard or taken seriously.
"I was always told to talk softly and sweetly and to be quiet and not talk too much. Mistakes always felt much more detrimental too ... I've had comments about my self-worth, if I've dated someone and broken up, people have questioned my values."
Patel says entering the pageant was stressful, and she probably wouldn't do it again. But there was a silver lining.
"I really loved the girls. I was a little bit intimidated going into it because my experience growing up in the brown community, it felt like I never really belonged. I didn't dance or play hockey, I felt like an outcast, so I was going in with some fear, I felt like a nine-year-old again like, will these girls like me?
"And they were all so kind and supportive. I definitely met a few girls I got close with, meeting them was a fun experience and putting myself out there was a good experience."
Photo: Jasmin Sheikh
Noor Randhawa was crowned Miss India NZ 2024 on the night, while Patel stepped away with the Miss Friendship sash - a category voted on by fellow contestants.
"It's nice to know I made somewhat of an impact. Some of the girls were nervous on the night so I tried to make an effort to tell them like, 'You're doing really good, you should be proud of yourself, you're presenting well, you spoke well.'
"Brown women don't often hear that, they don't grow up being told that they should be proud of themselves and their accomplishments. I think everyone deserves that.
"I know what it's like to be young and insecure and forever doubting all my abilities and spiraling and thinking about my imperfections, so I just wanted to be a voice that was a bit more positive.
"We can do so much - we can lead communities, be advocates for each other, empower each other, and create supportive and uplifting environments.
"I think I'm a lot more than how I walk or how I dress, and I think my voice and my mind spoke for that."