Journal Staff
Pageantry in the Marianas has been rooted in island communities for more than 75 years, evolving alongside changing values, interests, and opportunities.
In both Guam and Saipan, the annual Liberation Queen Pageant is held from April to July, selecting one woman to serve as a cultural ambassador, civic role model, and voice for social impact.
Jesse L.G. Alig, mayor of Piti and president of the Mayors’ Council of Guam, told the Journal in April that the contest, “will espouse the creativity, beauty, and intelligence of the [CHamoru] woman as the reveal the diverse interpretations of native attire and the evolution of the vernacular.”
Alig added that this year’s candidates would help carry forward Guam’s oral history by engaging with members of the Greatest Generation.
While both Guam and Saipan’s Liberation Day pageants incorporate fundraising as a key component, their approaches and event structures reflect different priorities and traditions.
In Guam, the 81st Liberation Queen Pageant splits the score evenly — 50% based on funds raised and 50% on traditional pageantry criteria, such as public speaking and dress. In Saipan, the title is awarded to the contestant who sells the most raffle tickets.
Yona Mayor Brian Jess Terlaje, chairman of Guam’s 81st Liberation Queen Pageant, told the Journal that the competition was historically a fundraising event for villages and charitable causes, but this year organizers added traditional pageantry elements to elevate the role.
“We used [the fundraising] as a foundation to move forward, and we just incorporated glitz and glamour, poise, and grandeur to the queens,” he said. “We elevated the queens to the highest level we believe as community members of Guam.”
Terlaje said that the pageant fosters not only village pride but also builds stronger business relationships.
“[The community] patronize all of the different businesses all over the island, and I think it’s an opportunity for our people, our community, to speak with the businesses, to create partnerships, not only partnerships, but strengthen relationships,” he said.
Looking forward, Terlaje urged businesses to engage more deeply with the community to explore how it can contribute to the growth and modernization of CHamoru
cultural practices.
In the past, the Liberation Day Queen competition attracted as many as 22 contestants. This year, six contestants competed for the title. Terlaje hopes in the future to see participation from all of Guam’s villages to compete in the event.
Outside of the annual Liberation Day pageant, other organizations have emerged to celebrate beauty in all forms.
Jenei Adame Aguon, the creative director of Pitbull Empire, told the Journal that the organization has been hosting pageants since 2013.
“We have thicker women, short, tall, and a lot of them didn’t feel like they had an outlet to join pageantry,” she said.
That year, the group launched the Miss and Mrs. Curvy pageant, which drew 19 contestants — a turnout Aguon said was unexpected at the time. However, the event was not immediately embraced by the wider community.
“In the beginning, because we started with plus size pageantry, nobody would give us the time of day,” she said. “When they see what we do and how we represent Guam, the change has been a total switch.”
In 2020, Pitbull Empire’s Miss and Mrs. Curvy pageant was recognized at the national level. Aguon said one of its contestants won the competition, marking Guam’s first national pageant win since the 1980s. Since then, contestants from the local pageant circuit have gone on to compete internationally.
Aguon said each of the Curvy pageants can generate more than $20,000 in local economic activity. Contestants patronize a variety of businesses — including hardware stores, jewelers and clothing retailers — as they prepare costumes and outfits. The pageants also bring revenue to their host venues, she said.
This year, Pitbull Empire hosted four pageants: Mister Guahan, Miss Guahan, Miss Guam Curve, and Miss Elegant Guam.
Aguon said that the purpose of the pageants is to put Guam on the global stage and showcase its culture and hospitality to the world. mbj
