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The Miss World Pageant, the traveling, and the warm support of the Jamaica people,--these will be among Julie Ann Bradford’s most cherished memories of her year as Miss Jamaica.
Her biggest challenge, Julie says, was not being in the public eye - she actually enjoys that and misses it! - It was learning to be flexible enough to accommodate last minute assignments and duties when they came up, as she has always been a very disciplined person who likes to organize her life on a schedule.
The big eye-opener for her was the tremendous responsibility Miss Jamaica has as a role model for young people.
“This helped me to grow a lot,” Julie says, “because I’m aware that young people look up to me, with interest and admiration, so I’m able to offer a word of advice, to help them along. That really hit me. I hadn’t realized the significance of it before.
The outgoing Queen also gained a lot of self confidence during the past year. She describes herself as a formerly shy person who had already started to “come out of her shell”, Thanks to the Miss Jamaica experience, her self-esteem is now very high and she says with a happy smile:
“I enjoyed it a lot. It has been a very beneficial experience for me, and it’s certainly something I would encourage other young women to pursue.”
Her travels as Queen took her to London and South Africa for the Miss World Pageant (one of the most memorable experiences of her life); for a brief stop in Antigua; to Cayman for an early fashion show; to the Bahamas where she served as a judge in the Miss Commonwealth contest, and to Columbia to enter the Miss Queen of the Sea Pageant.
She was intrigued by the cultural differences she observed: the zest for life of the Columbians, like us Jamaicans; the progressive business world of Cayman, with heavy U.S. influences. Unfortunately the demands of the Miss World Contest did not allow for much interaction with the people of South Africa, but she was glad to know that the show benefited children there through Operation Hunger.
At home, Julie joined the reigning Miss World Julie Kourotchinka, and Miss Continental Queen for the Caribbean, Bahamian Jodi Weech, modeling at the 1993 Miss World Fashion Show in May.
Proceeds helped the Kiwanis Club of North St. Andrew in the building of a nursery for adolescent mothers, through the Jamaican Women’s Centre.
Julie’s other duties included speaking at service club luncheons, and visiting several schools to have rap sessions with the students.
“Funnily enough,” she observes, “my lifestyle didn’t change very much.” She had just returned home after gaining her Ba. in Sociology at York University in Canada, when she entered the Miss Jamaica Pageant.
She plans to go on modeling on a part time basis, and of course, will continue her health and beauty regimes. These are based on good common sense, like eating properly and avoiding greasy foods, drinking lots of water for a good skin tone, and working out regularly. She now exercises about four times a week, doing aerobics and using the gym machinery at the Spartan health Club.
In closing, Julie has a special message for the Jamaican people. As one who had spent a number of years away from home, she says their acceptance of her was one of the most important things to her.
“Thank you for accepting me as a Miss Jamaica,” she says, “Any time I’ve been in public, I have always been greeted very warmly, and felt a surge of support. This has meant the world to me—it was really wonderful!”
Source: 1993 Miss Jamaica World Souvenir Magazine
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