Renee Felicity Reyes Breaks Barriers in the Beauty Pageant World

By Columnist, Rachel Erwin 

Photo Credits of Edward Anthony

Renee Felicity Reyes, now Miss Stamford USA, is proving that you don’t need hair to be beautiful. This beauty pageant winner is using her platform as a way to spread awareness about alopecia and to change today’s beauty standards for the better. 

Reyes was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but she currently lives in Stamford, Connecticut. Inspired by her mother’s past as a beauty pageant contestant, Reyes entered Miss Teen Connecticut 2015, where she was a semi-finalist. Then, in 2018, she started to notice the first signs of her alopecia. 

Alopecia occurs when one’s immune system attacks the body’s hair follicles, causing hair to fall out in patches. Reyes recalls taking showers and seeing clumps of hair falling into her hands, and waking up in the mornings with hair in her mouth. After a few weeks, her hair loss became visibly evident. People started asking her if she had cancer. 

“As a female, they say that hair is your crowning glory, and growing up people always complimented my hair, and I had really beautiful, long, shiny hair,” Reyes said. “And for me to just lose it all, it was a huge shock, totally unexpected, and I didn't know what to do. I was confused. I didn't know where to go because I had never even heard of alopecia before it happened.”

This coincided with her multi-year break from competing in pageants and pursuing modeling opportunities. 

“After the onset of my alopecia... well let's just say I didn't have as many opportunities to model anymore because being bald isn't really in line with beauty standards,” Reyes said. 

Reyes grew more confident in her changing appearance after connecting with others in the National Alopecia Areata Foundation community. Seeing how it impacted others’ lives helped her process her own experiences. Still, she says it was not easy.

“You get harassed, people say things to you in the street, and it makes you feel like you're less of a person for having less hair,” Reyes said. “And the thing about alopecia is that there are no physical health issues that come with having alopecia... and the reason alopecia is so devastating is solely due to the stigma surrounding hair loss.”

Photo Credits of Edward Anthony

Photo Credits of Edward Anthony

Despite this, seeing others embrace their hair loss motivated her to re-enter beauty pageants. 

Reyes says preparation for Miss Stamford was a full-time job. 

First, contestants must find sponsorships from local businesses. This money is used to fund different elements of the competition, including housing and printing costs. In return, the businesses benefit. The money is tax-deductible, and contestants like Reyes might offer personal appearances or volunteer work on the company’s behalf. 

To prepare for the swimsuit portion of the pageant, Reyes gets up at 5:30 a.m. each day to complete a two-hour workout. However, she says she does not diet. 

“I like food. I had a McFlurry the other day,” Reyes said. “I mean, I feel like still eating a McFlurry can be healthy, right? It’s not about starving yourself and looking perfect for the stage. It’s to see how healthy you are, how much energy you have.”

For Reyes, the most valuable part of the competition is when judges interview the participants, which viewers often don’t see. The judges try to get a sense of what each contestant stands for and if they would be a good representative of the community. That’s why, as Reyes says, it’s not all about looks. 

“It's not a pretty competition, you're supposed to be a role model,” Reyes said. “You're supposed to be proof that, as a woman, you can be beautiful and smart at the same time. That's really what it's about.”

So, what’s next for Reyes after winning Miss Stamford? Potentially another win, she says. She hopes to win Miss USA and Miss Universe, which would give her an even grander platform to spread alopecia awareness. After that, Reyes says she may end her run in the pageant world. It can be challenging to find sponsors the second time around. 

Reyes is also studying horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. As a child, her fascination with dinosaurs and paleontology blossomed into a passion for botany. The current owner of over 200 plants, she works in interior horticulture, but she plans to pursue research going forward. 

Provided by Renee Felicity Reyes

Provided by Renee Felicity Reyes

She started out as an international business student at Fordham University, but after taking a gap year she rediscovered her love for plants. 

Her plant Instagram, @prickleparty, is Reyes’ outlet. She converted her high school “finsta” account into what it is today: a community for those who love plants as much as Reyes does. 

“It's kind of like my own little therapy, just connecting with other people, just enjoying the beauty of nature and just nurturing life,” Reyes said. “It's just my own little space.”

She is simultaneously using her recent victory to make a difference. Reyes is looking to establish her own non-profit volunteer organization for alopecia awareness. Though there are existing organizations that support those with the condition, Reyes says she wants her organization to focus on embracing alopecia, while many organizations emphasize using makeup and wigs to hide it. 

“I want discussion around the condition to be a lot more positive and uplifting,” Reyes said. “There is a cure for the disease, and it's not so much medication, it's compassion. That is the core mission and message of this non-profit organization that I've been working on tirelessly for months now.”

Winning Miss Stamford USA gave her the platform to make this happen. As a representative of her community, Reyes is expected to participate in community service and outreach. Currently, she is organizing a diaper drive to collect supplies for struggling families in Connecticut. She says her new title gives her a responsibility to give back and speak out. 

“With this title, I'm able to do more than I ever could before just as a nameless Renee, you know, just a normal college student,” Reyes said. “That's what that title needs to be, and I think the crown, you know it's sparkly, it's glamorous, but really it's a full representation of that responsibility.”