«There are 2 things that I carry with me everywhere I go: kindness, and compassion. I find this incredibly important throughout all of life’s highs and lows.»
«I want to empower youth to be the best version of themselves, and have the confidence to go into the world with success.»
«To be a model, you need to have a strong sense of self, and understand what it takes mentally to be successful.»
«After crowning, and being titled Miss Canada Globe 2020/21, I have worked hard to raise awareness, fundraise, and be involved in causes I believe in.»
«I believe you should pursue a talent if that is something you dream of. If that is not something you want to pursue, I don’t think you should feel pressure to do so.»
Meeting my guest today is a privilege, her freshness, humility, smile and natural beauty make her a wonderful ambassador for her country and for all women.
It is an honor to present from Belleville, Ontario – Canada Anne-Marie Turcotte, model, beauty queen, Miss Global Canada 20-21; Anne-Marie grants me an unmissable interview.
Welcome Anne-Marie Turcotte !!!
1.- Anne-Marie, What do you like about your hometown? What are your hobbies? What makes you laugh a lot or does it give you a lot of joy?
My hometown is the beautiful city of Belleville, Ontario. Our city is waterfront to the Bay of Quinte, and holds great significance to Canada’s settler and Indigenous history. My favourite part about my hometown is that I am able to enjoy the natural attractions that we have to offer. I value being able to take a break and take time for myself, and having the ability to do that without leaving the comforts of my town is something I greatly appreciate.
Throughout my life, music has always been a constant source of happiness for me. From the age of 3 I began taking interest in piano; now I am proud to say I have been a piano teacher for nearly 6 years. In my family, the musical ability has been passed down for many generations. As a piano teacher, I find happiness in passing along this skill to the younger generations.
2. Model , Beauty Queen, Miss Canada Globe 2021, When do youdecide to take your first steps as a model and beauty pageants? What feeling do you have achieving your dreams, your passions and being a recognized influencer woman today?
The beginning of my journey as a model started in early 2017, as my longtime friend, Eunice Yeung, was just starting out as a photographer. She was eager to learn, and asked if we could do a photoshoot in our hometown. I was hesitant to do this photoshoot because I had never viewed myself as a model, and I was lacking the confidence to succeed. After this photoshoot, my mind had changed completely.
Following this first session with Eunice, I actively searched and jumped at any opportunity to continue doing modelling. From 2017-2020 I continued to work as a freelance model, and build whatever knowledge about the industry that I could.
Throughout this time, I continually worked to build my confidence, and uplift those around me on our journey.
In early 2020, I was recruited for Miss Canada Globe by my mentor, Hailey.
During this time, I wanted to expand my range of knowledge about the industry, and branch into new avenues. I leaped at the chance, and started my preparations for the pageant in September. Throughout those 9 months, I worked hard on my mental and physical health to ensure I could be the ‘best me’ possible for the pageant. I am endlessly grateful to my mentor, Hailey, and the community who supported me throughout this journey.
During my pageant, one of my main goals was to raise awareness for mental health access in small and racialized communities. My platform is based on my personal experiences, having grown up in these areas, as everyone deserves equal access to mental healthcare.
After crowning, and being titled Miss Canada Globe 2020/21, I have worked hard to raise awareness, fundraise, and be involved in causes I believe in. Community involvement and outreach is something I deeply value, so this is something I have worked to continue doing throughout COVID.
Currently, I am preparing for the upcoming Miss Globe pageant planned for this fall. Having achieved so much this past year, especially being titled Miss Canada Globe,
I feel a sense of pride and gratefulness. I have wanted to enter into pageantry since I was a child, and being able to achieve this was a dream come true.
3. What do you think is the distinctive, unique stamp of Anne-Marie in each activity carried out as a person and model?
There are 2 things that I carry with me everywhere I go: kindness, and compassion. I find this incredibly important throughout all of life’s highs and lows. I believe that these are traits that everyone should carry with them, as we would have far less turmoil in our day-to-day lives.
Carrying these traits in a professional environment allows for greater communication, and better interpersonal relationships. I have found in the modelling/media industries, kindness + compassion can make the world’s difference. You never know what someone is struggling with. It is always important to treat those around you how you would like to be treated.
4. Whats is the main virtue that any woman must have to be a model?
To be a model, you need to have a strong sense of self, and understand what it takes mentally to be successful. Being in the public eye can be difficult at times, and two virtues I think are necessary in this industry are patience and courage.
During photoshoots, events or interviews, anything can happen to make the appearance run later. Patience is one of the most important virtues to uphold as a model. Two things I practice to help maintain this are: clear communication, and meditation. When I get overly stressed or anxious, I use meditation to ground myself and ensure that I am mentally prepared for the day ahead of me.
Being in the public eye takes courage, as do most aspects of modelling. With this, you need to have a strong sense of self, and have the courage to show the world the true you.
5. Are you aware of being an influential woman for thousands of girls who want to be models? How important is it to you to be an idol for many girls and teenagers?
Throughout my time as a model, I have become increasingly aware of the influence I have, especially on the younger generation. It is important for me to be a role model for the youth, as I did not always have that growing up. For most of my life, my mother was very ill, and she passed away when I was 15 years old. I lost one of the most influential people in my life.
Having grown up in the new age of social media, I was able to seek inspiration and influence from people I looked up to on the internet. This helped me to embrace my femininity, and empower me to succeed in every aspect of life. Having the ability to be a positive influence now, as someone who relied on this as a teen, is crucial. I want to empower youth to be the best version of themselves, and have the confidence to go into the world with success.
6. What was your feeling the first time you modeled in front of a video camera? What did you feel the first time at a beauty pageant?
The first time I modelled, I was very nervous and did not know what to expect. I am very grateful that I was in a warm and welcoming environment, as this was a fun photoshoot to help my friend learn more about photography. Since then, I have jumped at any modelling opportunity that I could. This industry has helped me find the confidence to be my true self, and to push myself to this level of success.
My first pageant was actually Miss Canada Globe! Truthfully, I was scared going into this for a multitude of reasons. This was the first time I had ever done a runway/modelled live, especially in a pageant format. I am so grateful for the welcoming and uplifting community that Miss Canada Globe Productions has, because I could not do it all without their support.
7. What do you think about the power of social networks today?
As social media is evolving, I believe it holds nearly too much power and influence into our everyday lives. With the internet, and influencer culture, we need to take posts and content with a grain of salt, and ensure that we use it for good. I want to use my platform to empower people, and inspire change in the world. During hardships, like COVID, it is especially important to use your platforms for good, and to encourage others to do the same. Social media is a powerful tool, and we need to interact with it wisely.
8. How do you like to interact with your followers on social networks? Whats your favorite social network?
Throughout the different social media platforms, my favourite is Instagram. As I am a visual learner, I enjoy being able to view content this way. However, my favourite way to interact with followers is by doing a “Q&A”, or question and answer session, on a livestream. No matter what platform, or who’s commenting, I love getting to know my community more!
9. What would you advise young people who have talent but do not dare to take the next step? What would you advise parents who do not support their children’s talents?
With different creative talents, like music and art, they can hold heavy meaning and be incredibly personal. I believe you should pursue a talent if that is something you dream of. If that is not something you want to pursue, I don’t think you should feel pressure to do so.
As a parent, I’m sure it can be difficult having your child explore something completely new. There are many unknowns and uncertainties. Much like my parents, you are likely concerned for your child. This is normal, and completely understandable! My advice and tips for you are:
- Find a trusted mentor who can help your child navigate this new
- This is a source of joy for your child! Try to keep the positivity going, and enjoy it as much as you can.
- Have regular check-ins with your child to gauge how they’re feeling with this new Ask what you can do to best help them on this journey.
10.- What important lessons have you learned from the world of fashion and beauty pageants?
During my time in the modelling industry, I have learned many, many lessons that have helped me throughout life. These are lessons that help me both inside and outside of the industry. The top 3 lessons that I’ve learned throughout my time as a model are: be prideful, be unapologetic, and be timely.
One of the very first lessons that I had to learn was to take pride in my accomplishments. I needed to learn to celebrate my work when I could, otherwise I would experience burn-out, and my creativity would suffer. This is something I practice in my everyday life, by finding at least 1 thing everyday to be proud of myself for. This keeps me in a positive mindset, and allows me to make space for growth.
Through my journey as a model, I have experienced a lot of personal growth, especially as a titleholder. The most important lesson I learned through pageantry is to be unapologetically you. When you are being your truest self, you have a certain glow and radiance about you.
As a model, or a creative in the media industry, you need to have a great sense of time management. This is a lesson that I learned very quickly. Time management is everything. Try to manage your time as best as possible to support your success.
11. Anne-Marie, being a model for you has been easy? Were there obstacles? How did you overcome obstacles?
Going into adulthood while entering the media industry, there were many obstacles that I faced. Mainly, I struggled with my self-esteem and vulnerability. As I did not have a mentor or clear role model in this industry, I did know to mentally prepare myself for many of the challenges ahead.
Entering into pageantry, the training I received helped to strengthen my self-esteem, and empowered me to be my best version possible. Throughout my life, I have loved performing onstage, but never wanted to speak or give a speech. I was terrified of saying the wrong thing or stuttering over my words. After going through this training, I was overjoyed to be able to give/present a strong speech and make my voice heard.
While I had overcome my fear of speeches, a new fear had crept in, and it was one of the strongest issues I have dealt with: body image. Similar to many other women across the world, body image is one of the issues I deal with on a day-to-day basis.
There are two ways that I have come to break this trend of a negative spiral.
- Find one positive thing that you like about yourself everyday. It could be your hair, teeth, eyes, anything. You will soon find yourself mentally evolving to look at yourself in a more positive light.
- As cliche as it sounds, you need to stop caring about what those around you think. Once I finally was in a positive headspace, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I could truly be me
12. Have you thought about being an actress? Do you like the entertainment industry?
Throughout my career as a model, I have always wanted to branch into the entertainment industry. I love being onstage and performing, and I believe I would enjoy acting in the same sense. Currently, I am focusing on pageantry, as I have two internationals coming up within the next year. Although, I plan on expanding into acting in the near future.
13. Worldwide, women have acquired a greater role even though there are societies where they are still abused. What is your opinion of the role of women in the future in these societies?
The societal view of women is still evolving and improving. I believe that every woman deserves to be treated equally to everyone else. I look forward to the day where I can see more women in positions of power, and see women in positions of leadership throughout the world. Unfortunately, many women still experience assault and harassment throughout the world on a daily basis. To those that are experiencing these atrocities, you are loved, and you do not deserve to be treated this way. My hope for the future is that women can globally experience equality, and that more services become accessible to those experiencing abuse.
14. Anne-Marie, what is your motivation and what do you feel grateful for every day?
When I have difficulty motivating myself, I think about an inspirational line I read: If you live your life the same way everyday, nothing will ever change. This proverb is something I carry with me, as it inspires me to keep going and pushing myself to change my life for the better.
Another quote I keep with me is “keep moving forward” (Meet the Robinsins, 2007). I love this quote because my mother first introduced it to me, and it can be applied to nearly anything. It has helped me push through the hardest of times, and the new changes in my life.
Everyday, I hold gratitude for many of life’s joys. My family, the roof over our head, and our health. My culture, and gratitude to my ancestors who fought to protect it. My friends and community, who are my strongest supporters. MCGP and my fellow queens, for holding such a loving and supportive environment.
When I start and end my days, I think about this list of things that I am grateful for. This allows me to focus on the positivity in my life, and keeps me from focusing on the negativity.
15. Anne-Marie Do you like to travel? What countries do you know? What other countries would you like to know and which places do you recommend to visit from Canada?
Prior to COVID-19, I loved to travel! I enjoy learning about other people’s cultures, as well as teaching them about my own (First Nations/Algonquin). So far, I have visited Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. I am excited to continue travelling once it is safe to do so. My ‘wish list’ of places to visit are: Brazil, Greece, France, South Africa, Singapore, Mexico, and much more!
Canada is home to beautiful sights and natural attractions. We feature beautiful forests and stunning landscapes on our west coast, while our east coast holds unique historical value and oceanic views. Head to our province of Quebec, and you can find our French-Canadian culture, and try some of our world renowned poutine! Most of Canada’s history includes Indigenous people, and the significance Indigenous culture has today. Throughout Canada, you can find which Indigenous land you are currently visiting, and what their practices are. It is important to acknowledge the different cultures that came together to shape this country into what it is today, and I believe multiculturalism is the most beautiful part of Canada.
16.- You and me (Jaime William) are going to play ping pong, I will tell you one word and you will answer with another word that comes to your mind.
Marriage – Equality
Children – Joy
Love – Extraordinary
Travel – Learning
Abortion – Choice
Dance – Freeing
Sing – Harmonious
Europe – Historical
America – Political
Sport – Exhilarating
Money – Necessity
Parents – Loving
Dreams – Reality
Passion – Enthusiastic
Madness Percentage – 10%
Character – Energetic!
17. Anne-Marie, these final lines are yours
I am so grateful to be in the position that I am in, where I have the opportunity to be myself, and be a role model for youth across the world. Thank you so much to Peru Mira, Miss Canada Globe Productions, and to my community for their constant support. I am looking forward to my two internationals coming up this year, including the Miss Globe pageant this fall, and focusing on my platform work for this year.
Interview conducted by Jaime William Mostacero Baca with Anne-Marie Turcotte – Canada
English language
Anne-Marie Turcotte Contact: Instagram – Email
Interview authorized in writing by Instagram – Email: Anne-Marie Turcotte – Perumira – Jaime William
All Rights Reserved in the name of Anne-Marie Turcotte – Perumira – Jaime William