Beauty queen Asha Galloway believes confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can wear.

The 23-year-old studies art and design at the Bermuda College. Her dream is to work as an art therapist, and help more people find their voice.

She won the Miss Big and Beautiful Pageant in Bermuda in 2011, and is hoping to head to the 3rd Miss Plus Size Universe pageant in Trinidad and Tobago next year. It is the first time Bermuda has been asked to join the pageant. She is presently looking for sponsors to help her with the airfare and the pageant’s $1,000 entry fee.

Q: Why did you take part in the 2011 competition?

A: I wanted to do it because I was a little bit shy and not as confident as I am now. I wanted to learn how to present myself in front of the public. I went into it just wanting to get confidence from the experience.

Q: What is the prize for the competition in Trinidad and Tobago?

A: I believe the winner gets a trip going around the Caribbean representing her country. For me, the prize isn’t really important, it’s more about the life experience. I feel like my life has just started. I am looking for new opportunities and I want to explore the world and see what it is like.

Q: Are you a fashionista?

A: That was part of my transformation when I first became Miss Big and Beautiful. My mentor for the competition, Samantha Smith, taught me a lot. At first, I wanted to work on the outside, the way I presented myself, but I didn’t anticipate the changes that would take place on the inside. I had to face my fear of public speaking. I had to be confident in who I am as a woman and as a plus-size woman. When the competition was going on there were a lot of negative comments, but I had to rise above that.

Q: Do you experience a lot of negativity in your daily life, because of your weight?

A: I tend to ignore it as much as I can now. There are a lot of people who will look at you and want to make sure you are healthy. They will always be reminding you that you need to lose weight.

Q: Are you unhealthy in any way?

A: I am not. My blood pressure is normal. My blood sugar is normal. I don’t have diabetes or anything like that. It just happens that this is the physique that I have. I am embracing it at this moment. My father was overweight and short. Unfortunately, I got both of those genes. I am 4ft 10 1/2.

Q: What kind of challenges do you have finding clothes that fit?

A: My goodness, finding fashionable, cute stuff for a girl of my size is difficult. You either have stuff for older women that is not young and hip or it doesn’t match my style.

Q: What is your style?

A: I feel that as an artist it is important that my wardrobe have colour in it. You have to mix and match in Bermuda to find what works for you. I have to get my pants taken up. Lucky for me, my mother is a seamstress. She has taught me how to hem my own pants.

Q: What colours do you prefer?

A: Purple is my favourite colour. I have to keep reminding myself, every now and then, to branch out into other colour palettes. When I first started preparing for the pageant here in Bermuda, Samantha Smith encouraged me to try warmer colours like orange and yellow. As a rule, yellow doesn’t look good on me, but I tried burned orange and found it worked really well.

Q: What is your favourite store?

A: In Bermuda, I love Gibbons Company. They have a section just for plus-size women and it is easy to mix and match the pieces they have there. Overseas, my favourite is Torrid Plus Size Clothing. They have some classy stuff that looks really good on plus-size women. I like that Torrid’s models are plus-size women. They are not the thin models that you see everywhere. Most women don’t look like the models you see on television or on a runway. Real women can be plus-size, curvy, they might have a little hip action going and beautiful busts. That is the image I want to embrace. If you are trying to improve yourself, the temptation is to work from the outside in, but really what is on the inside is more important. That is where true beauty comes from.