If there鈥檚 one message that Tanpreet Parmar wants to get across, it鈥檚 that true beauty comes from within.

The 29-year-old North Delta resident was among two dozen finalists competing for the title of Miss Canada in Montreal last month, claiming the crown at the pageant gala on Sunday, May 19.

鈥淗onestly, it felt like I was dreaming,鈥� Parmar said of hearing her name announced as Miss Canada after three previous attempts at the title.

鈥淕oing after it for the fourth time, to really put in that work, to really work on my self-growth, and then finally win 鈥� it was an unreal feeling.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know how to explain it because in that moment I coudn鈥檛 believe it. I mean, I could believe it, but at the same time it鈥檚 like, 鈥業s this really happening?鈥� It was great, I was just really grateful and really happy. I was full of tears, good ones. It was just a feeling of accomplishment.鈥�

Her win was not just the culmination of three days of judging at Miss Canada events, but a decade of pageant experience.

Parmar grew up in North Delta, attending Sunshine Hills Elementary after family moved to the community in 2000 and graduating from Seaquam Secondary in 2012.

She was crowned Miss Charity British Columbia in 2014 and claimed the title of Miss India-Canada in 2016, before taking the first of her four runs at Miss Canada in 2019.

SEE ALSO:

鈥淚 decided to do Miss Canada particularly because it is a personality pageant,鈥� Parmar told the Reporter.

鈥淭he pageant is a few days because they really take the time to actually get to know the girls. You鈥檙e really judged on who you are as a person, your personality, how you interact with the [other] girls, how you present yourself throughout the days 鈥� just seeing you as a person.鈥�

Half of a contestant鈥檚 score is based on their participation and attitude over the three-day event 鈥� including during one-on-one interview with a previous Miss Canada winner 鈥� while 35 per cent is awarded during the gala itself (what people likely picture when they hear 鈥減ageant鈥�) and 15 per cent comes via online voting.

Parmar previously competed at Miss Canada in 2019, 2020 (where she placed second runner-up) and 2021 before taking a two-year break to focus on her mental health.

鈥淚 was going through a really tough time in my life personally and battling through my own personal struggles, when I decided that I had to a step back from everything to really self reflect and grow as an individual, focus on my mental health and do what was best for me at that time,鈥� she said.

That focus led Parmar to work with Canadian charity Stigma Free Mental Health Society, partnering with them as an educator and speaker to advocate for mental health awareness.

鈥淲e do [virtual] presentations for students all over Canada on mental health, mental illnesses and stigma, and I really started to relate a lot of my presentations to my personal story and the things that I鈥檝e battled with.鈥�

SEE ALSO:

She said Miss Canada鈥檚 focus on personality aligns with her cause of promoting self-love and acceptance in the face of unrealistic standards of beauty perpetuated in entertainment and on social media, a passion for which she draws from her own struggles with perfectionism, body image, anxiety and depression.

鈥淲ith all of the media pressures that are out there and the unrealistic standards 鈥� I just think that right now with our generation, and even the younger generation, it is getting worse and that鈥檚 something that I really want to raise awareness about,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t is important to understand that it is out there, but it鈥檚 not necessarily always real and it鈥檚 important not to let these pressures and these picture-perfect portrayals make us feel that we aren鈥檛 good enough or that we need to change ourselves. It鈥檚 really important to embrace self-love and embrace our own uniqueness. I truly believe beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and it can be hard to really understand and grasp the idea of self-love and really, truly be our authentic selves because of what鈥檚 out there and the pressures we face every day.鈥�

Her hope is she can leverage her new title to shine even more light on the issue.

鈥淲hat we get to do with the title is entirely, in a way, up to us,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e already been working with different organizations to promote mental health awareness with that focus and sharing my journey and experiences, but obviously with a platform like Miss Canada we are able to get a bigger reach.鈥�

SEE ALSO:

Parmar said she would also like to reach out to schools to help break down stigma around mental health and build up awareness of societal and media pressures and unrealistic standards of beauty.

鈥淧ersonally, really struggling through my high-school years and growing up being a young woman who battled with perfectionism and body image, it was all due to these things,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o being able to represent the title and 鈥� exemplify what really, truly matters, which is our inner beauty and what true beauty is and what pageants are really about, is something I really want to do.鈥�

In the meantime, Parmar, who has a bachelor of business administration in human resources from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, continues to work her nine-to-five job in human resource management. And while her employer has been 鈥渟uper supportive鈥� throughout her journey, giving her time off when needed, she anticipates the next year being a busy one.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 plan on quitting my job or anything of that sort,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just going to be about being organized and balancing, making time for things that matter. I was already quite involved in the community in general, whether it be hosting fundraisers or participating in events, so some of it will be different and some of it won鈥檛 be different, but I do anticipate it being a busy year for me, which I鈥檓 completely okay with.鈥�

SEE ALSO: