Lu Celania Sierra shares her pageant playbook | Way of life

When contestants stepped onto the Miss Universe Jamaica stage final weekend on the AC Hotel Kingston, the place Miss Universe Jamaica Portland Celene Hall was topped Miss Universe Jamaica 2026, audiences noticed the robes, glamour, smiles and seemingly easy walks. What they didn’t see is the work that goes into making a contestant appear to be she belongs on a world stage. That is the place Lu Celania Sierra, an internationally recognised mannequin, runway professional, pageant coach and tv persona, is available in.

Known all through the style and pageant industries as ‘Runway Lu’, Sierra was in Jamaica for Beauty and Wellness Week and the staging of Miss Universe Jamaica 2026, bringing together with her a long time of expertise working with a few of the world’s most recognisable magnificence queens, fashions and vogue designers. In a sit-down interview, she spoke concerning the variations between modelling and pageantry and shared insights on resilience, confidence, authenticity, preparation, stage presence and the mindset contestants have to succeed.

For Sierra, one of many largest misconceptions within the trade is that modelling and pageantry are basically the identical factor. They aren’t. “Models sell products. Pageant ladies sell themselves,” she defined, drawing a transparent distinction between the 2 disciplines. According to Sierra, modelling teaches an necessary lesson that applies equally to pageantry: rejection is a part of the enterprise. A profitable mannequin may be turned down repeatedly and nonetheless be anticipated to stroll into the following casting with confidence and enthusiasm. That resilience, she stated, is equally necessary for a pageant contestant who doesn’t win on her first try. “You have to get up with the same enthusiasm every day,” she famous.

For Sierra, dropping ought to by no means change into an id. A contestant who fails to win one 12 months should return stronger, wiser and extra ready, moderately than permitting disappointment to change into bitterness. The purpose, she stated, is to take what’s already working, determine what wants enchancment and change into “a better version of herself”. And that evolution begins with understanding the job.

Few issues appeal to as a lot consideration in pageantry because the stroll, however Sierra believes contestants typically misunderstand what makes a stroll efficient. The reply relies upon solely on the atmosphere. In excessive vogue, significantly throughout New York, Paris and Milan vogue weeks, the garments are the star. “There is no incredible walk,” she stated, explaining that designers typically need fashions to maneuver virtually like a clothes hanger – strolling straight, sustaining a managed expression and permitting the clothes to command consideration. Pageantry is the exact opposite. A pageant contestant isn’t merely presenting a garment. She is presenting herself. “She must wow the audience,” Sierra stated, leaving judges with the sensation that they related together with her vitality. That means understanding one’s physique, proudly owning the robe and feeling snug within the swimsuit phase.

Sierra is especially obsessed with authenticity in terms of wardrobe choice. She rejects the concept that a contestant ought to merely be instructed that she will “win” in a selected costume if she doesn’t truly really feel assured sporting it. “If a girl does not love her gown, how can she possibly be the girl who loves her gown?” she questioned. For her, the answer is easy: perceive the contestant. If she likes one thing flowy, discover one thing flowy. If she feels highly effective in a structured silhouette, work with that. The goal is to make the contestant really feel like “a million dollars after taxes” when she walks onto the stage.

But in terms of confidence in her physique, Sierra believes the accountability in the end belongs to the girl herself. “You better love your body,” she burdened. At Miss Universe, magnificence isn’t sufficient. Sierra has labored with sufficient contestants to know that worldwide pageants are full of terribly stunning girls. The problem is determining who can distinguish herself from the gang. Her reply is presence. A contestant hoping to maneuver from the preliminary rankings into the coveted Top 15 or Top 5 can not behave like everybody else. Sierra needs contestants to be memorable earlier than they ever attain the stage. That means excited about what they put on every day, creating seems that generate curiosity, and guaranteeing that their personalities are seen.

She additionally stresses the significance of projection. When a contestant is requested a query, she mustn’t whisper her response or converse so softly that individuals should ask what she stated. “She stands up and projects,” Sierra defined. Preparation additionally extends past the rehearsal room. Sierra expects her contestants to know what is occurring on the planet. Instead of spending the morning distracted by their telephones, she encourages them to look at worldwide information and stay conscious of present occasions that would probably change into interview questions. She additionally encourages contestants to make themselves seen to the media moderately than ready for somebody to ask them into the highlight. Those seemingly small choices, she believes, could make the distinction in a contest the place dozens of girls could possess comparable bodily magnificence.

Sierra’s teaching turns into significantly intense when contestants are getting ready to compete. Her message is direct: “do not save your best for later”. She needs contestants to convey their “A-game” to each stage of the competitors. Even when standing in line, they need to be practising their stage presence. Sierra factors out that dancers stretch, singers rehearse their voices, and actors run via their traces earlier than performances. Pageant contestants, she argues, ought to be doing the identical. Standing backstage and easily ready isn’t preparation.

Her psychological technique is equally uncompromising. When contestants stroll onto the stage, she needs one message dominating their ideas: “I am your winner.” No negativity. No social media chatter. No second-guessing. No exterior voices. The goal is to enter the competitors satisfied that the crown belongs to them – whereas understanding that confidence should in the end be supported by preparation.

Perhaps nowhere is Sierra’s experience extra evident than within the interview portion of the competitors. For the stage query, she trains contestants to perform three issues:

– Acknowledge the individual asking the query. If the host is asking, the contestant ought to initially handle the host, as a result of that’s the pure and respectful response. But she mustn’t spend all the reply talking solely to the entrance of the stage. The judges have to see her eyes and really feel her ardour. And the viewers issues too.

– Connect with the judges, then increase that connection to the broader viewers. Sierra believes the stage-question phase isn’t merely about answering appropriately. It is a chance to display whether or not a contestant can captivate an auditorium. Her method is subsequently deliberate.

– Calmly say “thank you” earlier than leaving the stage and, importantly, keep visible reference to the judges as she walks away.

For Sierra, even the ultimate few steps matter. Despite the toughness of her coaching, Sierra’s ardour for teaching is rooted in her perception within the girls she works with. She loves working with contestants from completely different nations as a result of every brings a distinct persona, tradition and story. Yet, she sees a standard thread amongst them. They are hungry. They wish to win. They wish to attain one other stage. They wish to change into higher variations of themselves. She describes them as a “sponge”, girls who’re prepared to soak up data, be taught, and enhance.

But there are additionally contestants who consider they already know all the things. Sierra considers that perspective a significant impediment. In her view, the second a contestant believes there may be nothing left to be taught, she begins eliminating herself from the competitors. Her philosophy is easy: there may be all the time one thing new to be taught. The contestant could select whether or not or to not use the recommendation, however she ought to all the time stay open to receiving it.

No stranger to Jamaica

Sierra is not any stranger to Jamaica, however this go to has given her a distinct perspective on the island. Her earlier go to was primarily a trip. This time, she arrived as an expert, working alongside an area group. And the distinction, she stated, has been vital. The stage of professionalism surrounding her present go to has impressed her, as has the heat of the Jamaican folks. She additionally approached the island in another way this time – with larger information of the place to go, what to put on, and the way an expert mannequin ought to navigate the vacation spot independently. And then there may be the meals. Sierra overtly admits that meals is a part of the journey expertise for her, and Jamaica has already begun making an impression. “I love food everywhere I go,” she stated.

For somebody whose skilled life is surrounded by cameras, vogue, journey and high-profile occasions, Sierra’s thought of leisure is surprisingly non-public. When she isn’t working, she likes to close the world out. At dwelling, blackout curtains are closed, a mud masks could also be on, and gospel music or certainly one of her favorite ministers could also be taking part in within the background. She works out, disconnects, and tries to quiet a thoughts that’s virtually continuously occupied. As the proprietor of two firms who additionally manages social media, journey {and professional} commitments, she says excellence is one thing she frequently strives for. Even packing for a visit is a course of. She begins as a lot as three weeks earlier than travelling, slowly getting ready her wardrobe and rotating outfits throughout a number of closets to make sure she doesn’t repeat a robe or outfit. For Sierra, nevertheless, the true luxurious isn’t vogue. It is with the ability to flip her mind off.

Sierra’s credentials are formidable. She has coached contestants who went on to win main titles, together with Olivia Culpo, who gained Miss USA and Miss Universe in 2012. Thousands of girls around the globe have benefited from her coaching in pageantry, modelling, presentation and self-confidence. She can also be a marketing consultant to the Miss Universe Organization and helped introduce the wrap to the swimsuit phase, whereas her experience has made her a sought-after worldwide authority in runway presentation and pageant preparation. She has additionally been chosen as one of many consultants talking to audiences at Miss World America.

Before turning into one of many trade’s most revered coaches, nevertheless, Sierra constructed her personal fame in entrance of the digicam and on the world’s vogue runways. As a supermodel, she commanded runways for designers together with Bill Blass, Escada, Byron Lars, Bob Mackie, B Michael, Cesar Galindo and Yves Saint Laurent. She additionally labored as a muse and match mannequin for legendary designers and vogue homes together with Oscar de la Renta, Givenchy and Patrick Kelly.

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