I Competed in the Miss Chinatown USA Beauty Pageant

And I’m so glad I did

Hi, I’m Jess. I am Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2019. Here I am, being crowned by Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2018 Maggie Huang. Photo credit: Alvin Tang

I will never forget the moment Jack pushed me on stage. The push was sudden but sure, his hand firm and on the square of my back, the force just enough that I took one step forward. His message as stage manager was clear.

“Go!”

Of course, I knew I was up next, but I was still jolted nonetheless. We didn’t exchange words. I didn’t turn to look at him.

The next thing I knew, I had padded out in the dark to my starting position in the middle of the stage. The ends of my Chinese dance ribbons were arranged on the ground by the stage assistant, and I could feel them flowing along my arms. And then, the lights turned on and the music hit. Months of rehearsal finally paid off. I began to dance.

This is the story of why I decided to compete in the Miss Chinatown USA pageant in February of this year, and how I became Miss San Francisco Chinatown 2019.

At Macy’s Union Square during pageant week. Photo credit: Fred DeJesus

I was first introduced to pageantry in mid-2017: Nancy, a fellow advisory board member for the nonprofit Girls in Tech San Francisco, had competed in Miss Chinatown USA herself not too…