Miss Limestone College Brittany Durrah Wants Teenage Girls To Love Who They Are

Brittany Durrah periodically flips through the social media pages of teenage girls. And all too often, tears fill her eyes because of what she reads.

“I’m fat.”

“I’m ugly.”

“How could anyone ever love me?”

Durrah, a 21-year-old junior from Duncan who was crowned Miss Limestone College 2017 at a pageant on February 18, wants to change that way of thinking. That’s why her platform for the upcoming Miss South Carolina Scholarship Pageant is entitled “Love Yourself,” as she hopes to spread the message that youth – especially teen girls – need to be proud of who they are.

If this were just a few years ago, Durrah would be sending that message to herself.

“I scroll through Facebook and I see all these things that teenagers are saying about themselves and it just breaks my heart,” she explained. “I have been where they are. All through middle school and high school, I had concerns about my body. I was always thinking ‘I wish I had more of this’ or ‘I wish I had less of that.’ I was self-conscious about my teeth before I got braces. I constantly thought that my feet were too big.

“I was always trying to fix things,” she continued. “But I’ve come to realize that I am beautiful just the way I am – and that’s the way all girls should feel. Love who you are and people will love you for it.”

Durrah, who graduated from Byrnes High School, is a member of the Limestone competitive cheerleading squad. Performing a lyrical dance routine in Miss Limestone College, she also won the award for Overall Talent.

She will now advance to the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Pageant that will be held at Township Auditorium in Columbia June 20-24.

Although Durrah had competed multiple times in the Miss Byrnes High School pageant, took part in Miss Tyger River Princess and Miss Boiling Springs/Inman, and competed twice before in the Miss Limestone College pageant, she never really imagined she would one day be vying for the title of Miss South Carolina.

“I am so excited about this opportunity to represent Limestone College in Miss South Carolina,” she said. “It is going to be so much fun to meet all the other girls from across the state. That is one of the things I have loved so much about being a student at Limestone College. We have so many international students and I have become friends with people from places like France and Brazil.

“I remember competing in Miss Boiling Springs/Inman and there were so many girls there who had competed before in Miss South Carolina and other major pageants,” she added. “Going into it, I thought they would be standoffish and unapproachable. Instead, each and every one of them was friendly and just so nice. So I can’t wait to get to Miss South Carolina and meet everyone. It’s the chance of a lifetime and I am going to embrace it.”

To support her “Love Yourself” platform, Durrah is going into the Cherokee County public schools to read to children and to talk to teens about having a positive body image. She will also soon be taking part in the upcoming “South Carolina Walk To School Day” which encourages more physical activity and promotes having a healthy lifestyle.  

Durrah is the daughter of Tanya and Patrick Donald and Steven Durrah and Adrianne Cash. She also has a brother Steven Durrah, Jr., a sister Shira Burns, and two step-sisters Keeaira Donald and Junea Rapley. At the recent Miss Limestone College Pageant, she had a large contingent of family and friends cheering her on inside Fullerton Auditorium.

“As soon as they called my name as the new Miss Limestone, I looked straight over at my family,” Durrah said. “My grandpa jumped up so high in the air! My grandparents come to everything I do and they are always there to encourage me. I was happier for my family than I was for myself when they were putting the crown on my head. I appreciate their love and support so much.”

In addition to advancing into the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Pageant, Durrah will serve for a year as an ambassador for Limestone in the community and at select on-campus events at the College. She considers that a privilege, as she goes out to represent the school that she loves.

“In high school, I was focused on going to college at one of the large public schools,” said Durrah, who will graduate in December of 2018 with a degree in Education. “But the moment I stepped onto the campus at Limestone, it was instant love. I knew I didn’t want to go anywhere else. My cheerleading coach, Hailey Martin, was one of the main reasons I decided to attend here. She’s such a role model and I look up to her in so many ways.”

From the looks of it, Durrah is about to be a role model herself.