Kingston girl wins Little Miss Massachusetts beauty pageant

Kingston girl wins Little Miss Massachusetts beauty pageant

Eight-year-old Eden Victoria Shannon, of Kingston, was crowned Little Miss Massachusetts on March 27 at a pageant held at the Double Tree Hotel in Danvers. 

 A student at Kingston Elementary School, Eden has been in five pageants since she was 7, and won best dressed twice. Her mom designed her clothes, and it reawakened her talent for fashion design.

Eden’s mother, Katy Shannon, is a bus driver and her father, Victor Shannon, works for the U.S. Postal Service. Pageants were never on their radar.  At age 6, Eden watched beauty pageants and asked her parents if she could give it a try.

Eight-year-old Eden Victoria Shannon, of Kingston, won the title of Little Miss Massachusetts on March 27.

“It started when I saw a cartoon of a Barbie pageant and I thought it would be so much fun,” Eden said.

Her mom was not immediately onboard.

“I didn’t even want her to compete, but it was something Eden really wanted to do,” Katy Shannon said. Over time, they explored contests, and decided on East Coast Pageants

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“It’s all natural, girls under 12 don’t wear makeup, and she’s made a lot of friends,” Katy Shannon said. “It’s fun fashion and a combination of walking and poses. It’s boosted her confidence.”

Eight-year-old Eden Victoria Shannon, of Kingston, won the title of Little Miss Massachusetts on March 27.

But it was her 46-year-old mother who received an unexpected confidence boost.

Pageant clothes reminded Shannon of her former work in style and fashion.

“Ever since I was 8, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I studied for it,” she said.

Gary “Vee” Vaynerchuk, a major social influencer in fashion, was a friend when she attended Mount Ida College in Newton.

“He modeled for one of my collections in college,” Shannon said.

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