Greenwood woman to represent Indiana in international pageant

A Greenwood woman is representing Indiana in an international beauty pageant.

Kelsey Davis hasn’t always been interested in being in a pageant. She first became interested through a chance encounter on vacation, Davis said.

“My husband and I went to Texas in June and the hotel we went to was hosting Ms. Texas Teen USA. I saw the contestants and said ‘oh my gosh, this is amazing. I wish I could be in a pageant.’ That sparked something in me to do my research and once I did that research I found Mrs. International and did the whole application,” she said.

Davis wanted to look into pageants specifically for married women, something Mrs. International has promoted since it began 30 years ago, according to its website.

Davis filled out her application in August, which included submitted photos and questions about her name, height and weight, occupation, volunteer work, how she met her husband and favorite family traditions.

Davis learned pageant officials selected her to be Mrs. Indiana International in September and is now preparing for her first in-person pageant in July 2023 in Kingsport, Tennessee. There, she will compete against contestants from each state, but also from Haiti, India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Oceania, Thailand, Ukraine and the United Kingdom, according to the pageant’s website.

“I was excited and not really expecting it. This is my first time going into pageantry, and it’s such an amazing experience hearing I was chosen,” Davis said. “I would love to win Mrs. International, but if I don’t, I still learned a lot out of this process and I’m honored to be in the running as Mrs. Indiana.”

During the week of the pageant, contestants will take part in volunteer work, and during the competition itself, their scores will be based half on their interviews, 25% on their appearance in an evening gown and 25% on their appearance in fitness wear, according to the pageant’s website.

Contestants also have the opportunity to promote a platform of their choice. Davis, who works as a fitness trainer, hopes to gain exposure for her YouTube channel, KelseyDavis1020, where she has more than 2,000 subscribers. In her videos, she talks about her faith, the importance of a positive self-image and being true to yourself.

“(The channel) is about encouraging young adults to be OK with themselves and it’s OK to be apart from society,” Davis said. “I like being all-natural, going months without wearing makeup. I want teenage girls to understand they’re beautiful regardless of race, shape, size, they’re fine the way they are. That’s what I want to continue to push as Mrs. Indiana.”

Davis’ status as an influencer and her extensive volunteer work set her apart among the applicants.

Most of Davis’ volunteer hours are spent at Church 52 Family Worship Center on the east side of Indianapolis, she said.

“Each month we do ‘Feed the Need,’ where we give out free groceries to communities,” Davis said. “It’s an amazing experience seeing people come in and being taken care of by our church.”

She also spends time at Neighbor Care of Chapel Hill, an independent living community for senior citizens.

“They recently held a military ball where we helped pass out food, catering to the seniors. We do fitness activities throughout the week with them as well,” Davis said. “What inspires me is seeing the look on everyone’s face when they’re being treated well and we are volunteering to help them out. It’s an amazing experience to see the happiness on their face. That’s why we want to continue to volunteer and help the community. It does something to my spirit when I see the excitement and joy they receive when helping them out.”