Six contestants participated in the Mr. Pink Pageant, an all-male beauty contest, on Sunday. It is the first time for the event, organized by the Alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority, at the University of Iowa.
Described by organizers as a “charity pageant designed to raise awareness about breast cancer,” the pageant included educational segments on breast cancer in addition to the traditional talent, outfit, and Q&A portions.
Ingrid Lizarraga, a surgical oncologist at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, was invited to speak on the issue of breast-cancer detection and prevention. She emphasized the importance of raising awareness of the disease among the younger campus community.
“It is a joy for me to speak to a crowd of young people, because [breast cancer] is not necessarily something they know about,” Lizarraga said.
She said it is important for people at risk of developing breast cancer to become aware of the signs of the disease at a young age, because the earlier it is recognized, the more likely it is to be cured.
“Early detection is really important,” she said. “The further along the disease is, the less likely we are to be able to save patients.”
The event quickly took on a more lighthearted tone as pageant contestants were introduced on the stage. The outfit portion, loosely organized around the theme of “pink,” saw contestants dressed in a range of styles from modest T-shirts paired with baseball caps to full pink formal-wear suits.
Pageant winner Jacob Heid took to the stage in a pastel crop top and black knee-high boots.
In the talent portion, most contestants opted for elaborate dance routines including backup dancers and ample lip-syncing. Meanwhile, the Q&A portion ranged from earnest questions on why it was important to support breast-cancer awareness to more jovial inquiries into where contestants bought their outfits.
“It was actually a lot of fun and really well-structured,” contestant Rogie Soeu said. “It felt like a pageant you’d see on TV.”
In addition to raising breast-cancer awareness among students and the general campus community, organizers also emphasized they had a particular goal of spreading awareness of how the disease can also affect men.
“The reason the event is called the Mr. Pink pageant is to raise awareness of the fact that males are also affected by breast cancer, even if they only make up a small proportion [of those affected],” said Jane Nguyen, president of Alpha Kappa Delta Phi.
Avonleigha Lee, the vice president of external affairs for the sorority, reiterated the point.
“We’re holding this event not just for the women population but for men as well,” she said. “The idea was that doing an all-male pageant would be a great way to get the issue out there.”
Soeu said that the pageant helped him become more aware of the issue.
“Beforehand, I didn’t know a whole lot about breast cancer, but now I’d say it’s an important issue to me,” he said.
Event coordinator Emily Bui stressed that the pageant demonstrated the power of students to advocate about the disease.