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Juanita Ingram is on a mission to diversify spaces globally. The Tennessee native won the Mrs. Universe competition in September, adding to her running list of pageant wins. She won Ms. World International 2012, Mrs. Great Britain World 2011, Mrs. UK Universe 2013, and Mrs. UK International 2014 (placing top three at Nationals), proving her dedication and commitment to the art of pageantry. Aside from her legendary legacy in the pageant world, Ingram is a noted attorney, author, actress, and an award-winning TV producer. The attorney turned entrepreneur leverages her legal chops, business acumen, and desire to forge change to build inclusive global initiatives through the Mrs. Universe service platform, Dress for Success.
Dress for Success is a global charity in 144 cities and 23 countries that empowers women to become economically independent by providing complementary interview attire and workplace training. Ingram is intimately familiar with the organization, as she served on the board and founded Dress for Success affiliates in London and Chattanooga. Originally from Tennessee, the HBCU alum, who graduated from Tennessee State University and the University of Memphis, lives in Singapore with her husband and two children. The family previously resided in London and Taiwan, an experience documented in her Webby Award-winning Amazon Prime series, The Expats: International Ingrams.
“Being African American and choosing to live abroad is always steeped in change and navigating through the unexpected, but today the racial and viral pandemics have placed the topic of living as an expat front and center,” Ingram says. “This series tackles tough and relatable issues in an educational yet entertaining way, breaking stereotypes and increasing a more inclusive representation of expats of color.”
The Expats: International Ingrams chronicles a Black American family’s international adventures and struggles and numerous other Black expats living, working, and learning abroad. Ingram believes it’s vital for Black people to have control over their narrative when depicting their journey. When creating her Amazon series, it was important for Ingram and her family to present a genuine and authentic depiction of their experiences.
Utilizing an “edutainment” approach, The Expats: International Ingrams ushers in a new genre of smart reality TV by offering a positive, family-friendly, and immensely entertaining depiction of Black expats, directly combating the distorted representation of the lives and reality of Black people and Black families. The unscripted show was produced by Purpose Productions, which Ingram founded in 2018. The mother of two is also a proud advocate for women and young girls, speaking internationally on law, expat issues, confidence-building, women’s wellness, empowerment, and self-worth throughout the U.S., Asia, Europe, and the U.K.
Additionally, she inspires women through several of her published Christian inspirational books. She’s currently working on her fourth book, Heavy Is the Head That Wears the Crown, a guide on leadership for other Black women entrepreneurial and corporate leaders, which is set to be released in spring 2023.
As she continues to innovate by limitlessly reimagining diversity and inclusion opportunities that push culture forward, Ingram is deeply aware of how important representation is on a global scale and is stepping up to be an example of someone living out their purpose and inspiring others to do the same. Shondaland spoke with Ingram about her love of pageantry, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and her experiences living and traveling abroad.
DOMINIQUE FLUKER: How did you get started in pageantry?
JUANITA INGRAM: I started 15 years ago. I didn’t even know that there were different tiers to pageantry. … I hadn’t thought about it or heard about it. I grew up watching pageants, but I didn’t grow up seeing [Black people] in pageants. You know, 1984 was the first time [a Black woman], Vanessa Williams, won Miss America, but we didn’t know a lot of representation after that. So, I watched it, but I was never inspired by it because I didn’t see us. As an attorney, I am often asked to speak to different inner-city groups about career aspirations and following dreams. I prayed and asked God, “How can I do this more?” And I heard pageantry. At first, I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to be judged and didn’t need the validation. But then, I researched pageantry, and I started in 2007. It was a Mrs. Indiana USA pageant. I’ve always married pageantry with purpose.
“Pageantry allows me to elevate awareness of what we do because so many people think it is just about clothing,” Ingram says.
DF: How has winning the Mrs. Universe Pageant pageant intensified your passion for economic empowerment and representation?
JI: Economic empowerment and representation were part of the reason why I went into pageants to begin with. I’ve been a volunteer for Dress for Success for over 10 years. I’ve been the founder in London for over eight years. Pageantry allows me to elevate awareness of what we do because so many people think it is just about clothing; it is so much beyond the suit. But then also in terms of representation. Having a seat at the table matters for young girls, and people often ask me, “Well, isn’t pageantry dated? What is the real purpose?” That’s a very privileged lens through which someone can posture and sit and say that, because you hadn’t seen a lot of women of color, especially Black women, when pageants started.
In Atlantic City was the first Miss America, but we didn’t get our first Black Miss America until 1984. The NAACP had to create the Miss Black Universe organization because they weren’t letting us win. And it wasn’t that we weren’t qualified to win. I think it’s vital that you have the opportunity to represent a different standard of beauty because we like to believe that we made movements toward expanding diversity and beauty standards, but there’s so much anti-Blackness globally.
DF: Were you always this confident? When did you get your sense of self?
JI: The current sense of confidence comes from my experiences abroad, specifically when we lived in London. I had to step away from what I thought was my sole identity as a lawyer to do some soul-searching. My husband’s job is what brought us abroad. I was a trailing spouse, as they call it; I didn’t even know the trailing spouse syndrome was an actual clinical diagnosis until I started researching for my show and studying the themes in the show. I had an identity crisis. Because so frequently, we acquaint ourselves with what we do.
“My kids have been to 27 countries and spent more time outside the United States than in,” Ingram reveals.
That’s when I decided to get back into acting and to produce — my first love — as being a lawyer was always my plan B. So, it was during that time that I became an expat and a trailing spouse; I went through trailing spouse depression. And I had no idea that that’s what that was; I spent the first four months in London crying because I was watching my colleagues get judgeships and partners, and I was on this particular trajectory. And I had to figure out my new path with a life coach. Once I permitted myself, that’s when everything took off.
DF: When you felt depressed, were there any mantras or affirmations that got you out of those dark spaces and moments?
JI: I’m a big proponent of therapy. There’s a saying in Proverbs that plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed. Sometimes we need to apply that to ourselves as individuals. So, every day I would say these mantras: I am smart, I am intelligent, I am a lawyer, I am a mother, I’m an attorney, an author, and an actress, and saying those things over and over again. My life coach also helped me craft a mission statement.
DF: I know in your pageant community, there have been instances of suicide, specifically the shocking death of Cheslie Kryst. Can you speak about self-care and mental illness and how the pageantry world navigated through that?
JI: That loss was profound, twofold — one on a pageantry level, but she was also the National Patriot for Dress for Success. And that was a tremendous loss to the organization and the world. But I think it is an opportunity to have this type of discussion, self-care, mental health — as I said, you know, when I first went to London, and people will not often admit I went through a very dark period. But it’s healing to hear other people say that, to see that they came out on the other side, and to know and normalize that. It is so important that we have these conversations so that we can bring awareness to mental health on a global scale.
“I want my legacy to be that I empowered everyone around me,” Ingram says.
DF: Can you share the story behind the creation of your globally led production company, Purpose Productions?
JI: I created it because our show is streaming on Amazon [USA, U.K.], Roku, and Apple TV [U.K.]. And if you don’t have a U.S. or U.K. bank account, you can’t see the show. And we had so many people from various countries because it is an international show. And Black people are everywhere. I created the show specifically for a particular niche; I hope everybody enjoys it.
DF: How have your family values evolved, given that you live abroad. Have any Asian traditions seeped into your family practice? Or have you been influenced culturally by other communities?
JI: My kids have been to 27 countries and spent more time outside the United States than in. So, we have incorporated many traditions and aspects of different cultures, whether food or actual cultural events. So, we celebrate Chinese New Year in a very significant way when they’re out of school. While in Taiwan, they got like two weeks off, which was more than they got off for Christmas. That’s one of the beautiful things we get to showcase on the show, how you see culture and new experiences through their eyes.
DF: What do you want your legacy to be?
JI: I want my legacy to be that I empowered everyone around me, from children to women, to families, people of color, everybody. I want people to walk away and feel empowered to be their best selves.
Dominique B. Fluker is a dynamic journalist, essayist, editorial strategist, and interior design storyteller based in Los Angeles. Her writing has been published in ESSENCE, Glamour, Travel + Leisure, INSIDER and others.
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