Meet the Telford fresher hoping to become Miss Glamorous Beauty UK this weekend

First year Nicole Analise Cox is set to compete in the Miss Glamorous Beauty UK finals at Cardiff this Sunday.

The beauty pageant sees women from across the country come together to compete for the prestigious title, and the Telford fresher from Swindon is hoping to make history by becoming the very first Miss Teen Glamorous Beauty UK.

But Nicole isn’t exactly your typical beauty queen. As well as studying Product Design Engineering at Wolfson School, she’s also a member of the AU Cheerleading first team and an avid Call of Duty fan.

Nor does she fit the typical tall girl with blonde hair and blue eyes stereotype that has become a staple of these sorts of events.

She told The Tab: “I just want to prove you don’t have to have a particular look to do well in pageants”.

Nicole hopes to take hope the first Miss Teen Glamorous Beauty UK crown this weekend

The beauty competition consists of a series of catwalk rounds, ranging from swimwear to evening attire. Contestants also gain points through interviews, charity fundraisers and work with their local community.

Nicole said: “I think people find it really controversial and see how it was in the past. Nowadays it’s more focused on the contestant as a whole and is much more charity based.”

She started competing aged 17

Nicole entered her first pageant at the age of 17 and, although initially hesitant, she eventually won it.

But taking centre stage didn’t come naturally to Nicole. She was labelled the “quiet one” in school, and taking the first steps onto the catwalk proved difficult.

She added: “I struggled at first. But participating in beauty pageant  just give you so much more confidence in everything – even when applying for a job. You acquire so many life skills and opportunities you really wouldn’t get anywhere else.

“It’s important to give yourself a name in your local town.  I have done a few shop openings and am always promoting my sponsors.”

Nicole still gets time for night outs

The pageants involve months of preparation, but for Nicole the community work makes it all worthwhile. She has volunteered to help those less privileged than herself, and was recently invited to dine with none other than the Mayor of Swindon.

She continued: “I’m definitely very busy, and I do have to sacrifice a lot of sleep to get everything done. It’s a bit of a struggle but I’m sure it will be worth it in the long run. I love Call of Duty – I suppose I’m a really competitive person and it’s kind of stress relieving! And of course I do love a good night out as well as everything else.

“Last year I did a few collections for the homeless and I’m raising money for All Creatures Great and Small at the moment. Earlier in the week I completed the Loughborough 10k in aid of the local charity Home-Start Charnwood. It’s a good way to meet so many great people, all while making a huge difference to peoples’ lives.”

But how did a Miss Glamorous Beauty UK hopeful end up studying at the Wolfson School of Engineering – a place known for its ridiculously high boy to girl ratio?

Nicole said: “From a young age I was encouraged to carry out all sorts of practical tasks. My family are all engineers, and my dad always asked for my help when fixing the car. Then it was always my dream to come here – you know when something just feels right?

“It would be nice to have a few more girls! It was funny because in our Anthropometry lab they take measurements of everyone each year on our course and they had over 1000 guys measurements and only like 250 girls.”

Nicole’s ultimate goal is to inspire more young girls to get involved within the STEM industries: “I think there has been a growth of women in engineering and I’m proud to be part of that movement.

“There’s so many opportunities in the future so I don’t really have any specific idea of what I want to do just yet – but I wouldn’t mind getting my hands dirty.”

In the meantime Nicole wouldn’t mind taking home the beauty crown this Sunday.