Mrs. Minnesota International Feroza Mehta. Hair and makeup by Joseph Gonzales of Constantine James. Photos: Matty Jacobsen, Magic Dreams Productions
The upcoming pageant has been years in the making for Mrs. Minnesota International.
Edina Magazine editor Feroza Mehta has always had a keen interest in pageants. “I grew up watching [pageants]” Mehta says. “I used to be in awe of the beautiful women walking on stage, displaying their confidence, poise and grace.”
Mehta decided to pursue her passion and applied to be Mrs. Minnesota International. “I was so thrilled when Mary Richardson, the Mrs. International pageant director, awarded me the title of Mrs. Minnesota International,” Mehta says. “It’s very competitive, and her belief in me and my platform means the world to me.”
Mehta’s platform, Never Too Late, refers to her autism diagnosis at the age of 37, and her goal to spread awareness to other women. “So many women get diagnosed later on in life,” she says. “We get missed because our characteristics are harder for clinicians and diagnosticians to spot.”
We asked Mehta to share more about her pageant journey and her deeply personal platform.
Feroza Mehta has been speaking to women’s groups, Rotary Clubs and at various fundraisers about her platform, Never Too Late. “My goal is to educate and get women and doctors and psychologists to think, ‘What if this could be autism?’” Mehta says. “Having a diagnosis is having an answer. Having an answer is having power.”
The Mrs. International pageant takes place July 23–24 in Skokie, Illinois and consists of three competitions: personal interview, aerobic wear and evening gown. How have you been preparing?
I’ve been training with my coach, Cheri Kennedy, for about two years. I meet with Cheri weekly, and she also has an entire network of former pageant queens who conduct mock interviews each week. It truly feels like I have a whole team behind me. I’ve also received incredible guidance and mentorship from last year’s queen, Brandi DeVries.
Which competition are you looking forward to the most?
The gown walk. I want to show my daughter that even if the body gives us limitations, we can rise above them. I have scoliosis or a curved spine. It causes my shoulders to be uneven and [causes me] pain if I walk in heels. I’ve done a lot of physical therapy over the years to avoid surgery/spinal fusion. For me, the gown walk is a way to show myself that I am healthy again. After all these years, I am still strong, and I have power, poise and confidence.
Over the course of preparing for the Mrs. International pageant, Feroza Mehta says she’s found self-acceptance and love. “This whole process has been a gift to myself,” she says.
You’ve been preparing for the Mrs. International pageant since last October. How has your family supported you during this time?
My husband has been my rock. Whenever I think I can’t go on or I’m too tired to work out, he pushes me to be the best I can be. My daughter used to be in pageants, so when I started my journey she loved to see me practicing my walk and give me pointers.
Your platform is Never Too Late, which brings awareness to autism and later-in-life diagnosis, specifically for women. How has this platform been informed by your own diagnosis journey?
I had spent the better part of a decade sharing my son’s autism journey. He was diagnosed when he was 2 and I was 28. I didn’t find out about my own diagnosis until I was 37. I had read somewhere that if one sibling has autism, the other may too. So I looked up the differences in how autism presents in girls and boys. My daughter didn’t meet anything on the list. I, on the other hand, noticed that I had almost every single item on that list.
I went to the Autism Society of Minnesota for an evaluation … I tested off the charts for autism. Over the next few months, I thought about how I felt sharing my diagnosis with others. And I felt awful for disclosing my son’s diagnosis without his permission. I had used his story for years to help with fundraising efforts for various autism charities. So I thought, let his story be his story. He can tell it when he’s ready. Now he’s 17 and is fine with it. That’s why I mention it here. Now, it’s time for me to take ownership of my own life, and maybe, in the process, I can help others.
Visit mrsinternational.com to learn more about Mehta’s platform and details for the People’s Choice Award.
Mrs. International
Instagram: @intlpageants
Feroza Mehta
Instagram: @feroza.mehta
