Chicago is home to more than just the Cubs and Lake Michigan – it’s where the Special Olympics began and where Miss Amazing continues to inspire.

Just over 49 years ago, the first Special Olympics took place at Soldier Field in Chicago. Eunice Kennedy Shriver, President John F. Kennedy’s sister, started this now notorious organization partly due to her own sister Rosemary’s intellectual disabilities. According to the Special Olympics website, Shriver saw the way people like her sister were neglected but also recognized the greatness these people are capable of achieving. Instead of continuing to ignore the lack of opportunities available to children and adults like Rosemary, Shriver created the Special Olympics, uniting people through sports. Shriver’s work made a great difference to this world even after her death, earning her the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2017.

Chicago is now home to another organization built on the same idea of uplifting people with disabilities. The Miss Amazing pageant was founded by Jordan Somner in 2007 and has been bringing girls and women with disabilities together ever since. Inspired by the Special Olympics, Somner created this annual pageant with an aim to celebrate “the abilities and strengths that lie within all people, regardless of disability or gender.” Each year, young women celebrate their great talents and achievements at Miss Amazing, finally getting the recognition they deserve.

 Here at dome, we recognize the beauty in all people, no matter their differences and the Miss Amazing event was filled with beauty.  It was a fun filled event with smiles and laughter throughout the day.  We had the honor to directly interact with these truly amazing girls, get to know their likes and dislikes and see the beautiful dresses they picked out for the event. We even met a few parents who were happy to see their girls light up while getting their makeup applied for their turn to shine in the spotlight.

These girls wowed us with their wit, smiles and outgoing personalities and have left a lasting impression in our hearts. For this reason, we were happy to sponsor and bring our products to all the amazing women at the Miss Amazing event.  We want our beauty products to make everyone feel confident in their skin and empower you to be your own kind of beautiful.