21-year old Maddy Ellis competed in the Bureau County Fair Pageant at a state level in Illinois and was crowned queen in 2016 after a rigorous year of training and practice.
A lot of people think "these girls are just put on stage in a bikini and really have no brain" said Ellis. However, she denies this is the case and says that most girls continue their education further and a lot of them are now involved in law and politics.
The Bureau County Fair Pageant has been going since the 1920s and a Queen's job is to promote agriculture, attend fair events and volunteer in her community.
Ellis became involved when she was just 10 years old and won her first local pageant. She next entered at the age of 16 and despite believing she had a great speech – unfortunately she lost.
In order to further her skills, Ellis took a year off and got a pageant coach, which helped her win the 2016 Pageant.
When asked what she had gained throughout the process, Ellis said "interview skills…friends…and confidence."
"I walked on stage and I wasn't nervous."
However, she did reveal some downsides into being a beauty Queen, mostly in regards to how time consuming it was, as she "gave up weekends" to volunteer for her community.
Ellis said at times she did feel objectified as she discussed the 'hot topic' of walking in a bathing suit.
"My ability to walk in a swimsuit, my size and my figure has nothing to do with my ability to serve my community and to public speak."
Although, as it was only state level, she felt her community was behind her and understood that her job was to promote agriculture and support Princeton.
At first Ellis said she just wanted to "get dressed up" but once she began investing her time and effort into winning the competition, she found that the skills she was learning were going to benefit her in the future and it was not purely about looks.
Ellis is no longer competing due to the time commitments involved and says she did not want to give up her personal life or schooling in order to continue.
However, she explained that it was a valuable time in her life and one that will always help her in the future.
