Intimate backstage photos from the Miss Ireland teen pageant

In her new series, Miss Ireland Teen, Eimear Lynch takes us behind the scenes of Ireland’s annual beauty pageant to explore a more intimate side of the competition. Moving away from the glitz and glamour of the stage, Lynch focuses on the backstage chaos.

The series is a natural continuation of previous projects like Girls’ Night, which documented the familiar girlhood rituals of getting ready for a party, and her images of the glitzy spectacle of the Irish Dancing Championships. Going backstage at the Miss Ireland Teen competition, she captures both the quiet and the chaos before the storm; the girls carefully adjusting each other’s sashes and sequined gowns, the flurry of last-minute hair touch-ups, sitting on the floor as they anxiously wait for their moment on stage. 

Lynch, whose work often centres on girlhood and beauty among Irish youth, captures these moments with an open mind. “I think everyone has their own opinions about pageants,” she says, “but I wanted to go and photograph one and see for myself.” The project follows the girls as they navigate crowded dressing rooms, help each other with hair and make-up, and manage the emotions that come with stepping into the spotlight — often for the first time. 

While pageants often carry preconceived criticisms, Lynch found a different narrative at play. “It was all just a bit of fun and really camp,” she reflects. “The aim was to build the girls’ confidence and make new friends.” Through Miss Ireland Teen, Lynch presents a fresh perspective on beauty culture, challenging our assumptions about femininity in Ireland today. Below, she tells us more.

What drew you to the Miss Ireland pageant as a subject for this project?

Eimear Lynch: I’ve wanted to photograph a pageant for a long time. They’re great subjects for photographs because there’s a lot going on. I think everyone has their own opinions about pageants and the ethics behind them, but I wanted to go and photograph one and see for myself. 

How does this series fit into your broader artistic themes?

Eimear Lynch: My work at the moment is focused on beauty culture and consumerism among young girls in Ireland. I want to cover all aspects of how beauty standards affect teenagers in Ireland and I thought Miss Ireland Teen was the perfect event to show the more extreme side of beauty pressures. 

The series focuses more on the journey of the competition rather than just the stage and crowning. What led you to choose this approach?

Eimear Lynch: I wanted to show the chaos behind the scenes as the girls prepare for the stage. I think it’s more interesting to show what goes on in the dressing room because no one gets access to that. That’s where you see who the girls really are, instead of the persona they put on for the stage. They were all super welcoming and comfortable having me take photos of them too. 

There’s a similarity between this series and your Girls Night project, where girls were photographed getting ready in their bedrooms. What differences did you notice in how the contestants prepared for a competition compared to a more casual setting?

Eimear Lynch: Yes definitely. I shot this just as I finished shooting Girls’ Night. I was shooting a lot more girls for Miss Ireland. There were about 20 girls and lots of clothes crammed into a small dressing room. There was a lot more going on than in the girls’ bedrooms that I photographed for Girls’ Night. Also, the girls for Miss Ireland Teen aren’t your regular teenage girls, they’re pageant girls. They were super confident and assured of themselves. There was no shyness at all, they loved having their photograph taken, which worked out well for me. They also seemed very mature for their ages. They were personable and outgoing and were able to attract attention. It was pretty chaotic. There was also a nervous energy because it was the first time most of them ever did a pageant because it was the first year of Miss Ireland Teen. 

The series captures the girls helping each other backstage, from curling each other’s hair to putting on heels. Was the overall environment supportive?

Eimear Lynch: Yes it was all very supportive. They had met a few times before the event doing ‘model workshops’ etc. So they knew each other a bit. There was no competitiveness between the girls, even though I could tell some of them really wanted to win. It was all pretty wholesome, which was really nice to see. 

How would you describe the backstage energy and atmosphere?

Eimear Lynch: There was a lot of excitement and nerves. They all wanted to do a good job and impress their families in the audience. It was mostly very lighthearted though. They were all having fun backstage. I was actually pretty surprised when I saw the two winners cry when their names were announced. I didn’t think there was that much competitiveness or intensity to warrant tears, but I guess they really wanted to win. 

Given the sensitivity of adolescence and beauty, were there moments when contestants seemed unsure or nervous? How did you navigate this in your photography?

Eimear Lynch: I think as a documentary photographer it‘s important to know when to take photos and when to give the subject some space. I never want to capture anyone in a vulnerable position or be too intrusive. There’s a lot of persuading I have to do to be able to get access to photograph people underage, and I never want to take advantage of the girls and their openness to being photographed. There were a lot of nerves backstage. but the girls were really good at bigging each other up so if anyone expressed any insecurity, someone would jump in and tell them how amazing they are. It was a really nice atmosphere. 

Beauty pageants often have negative connotations. Did working on this series alter your own perspective on these?

Eimear Lynch: I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the pageant and I didn’t know how it was run or anything about the organisers. But when I arrived I met the two organisers of the pageant, Brendan and Sean. They’re a married couple and were really lovely. I was worried it was run by straight men which would have made me feel quite uneasy about the pageant. But when I met Brendan and Sean I realised that it’s all just a bit of fun and really camp. Their aim was to build the girls’ confidence and to make new friends. They also didn’t take it too seriously. They didn’t ask the girls how they were going to change the world, or any of the cliche pageant questions, because they were aware they were only kids.  

How do you think the Miss Ireland pageant reflects or challenges ideas of beauty and femininity in Ireland?

Eimear Lynch: There was a lot more involved than just how beautiful the girls were. The girls were judged on talents, charity work, style, confidence, and athleticism. But it definitely still highlights traditional beauty standards. I think as much as a pageant says they don’t judge solely on beauty, it is still a big component.