“You Can Be Anything” is more than Barbie’s slogan – it is what organizers from the Parker-Bennett-Curry Community Center wanted 18 girls to remember during their fourth annual Parker Bennett Pageant.

Participants donned Barbie personas like “Boss Barbie,” “Chef Barbie,” “Jazz Barbie” and more as they showed off their runway walks and personal talents at Bowling Green Junior High School.

“We’ve definitely seen big growth (in) their confidence,” said center coordinator Jkeyah Patterson said. “They are just more comfortable in who they are, which is a big thing.”

The event was judged by a panel of five professional women, both local and from across the region. Each girl was escorted by a boy from the center. Each boy donned button ups and black pants and walked the girls on stage by the arm.

Participants have practiced twice a week since January in preparation for their big day, separated by age into either “Little Miss,” “Miss Jr.” or “Miss” Parker-Bennett groups.

The winners of each group, respectively, were Bostyn Alexander as “President Barbie,” Novi Satterfield as “Gymnastics Barbie” and Acelynn Anderson as “Firefighter Barbie.”

Anderson said it was a lot of work to prepare – a lot of push-ups and jumping jacks, she said – but she made a lot of friends and had fun in the process.

Her mother, Adrian Dixon, said Anderson competed last year but did not win. She added that she “really came out of her shell” in recent months.

Anderson’s great-grandmother, Teresa Woodson, agreed with Dixon.

“Being with the other girls and the instructors, that’s what they do. They bring it out of her because she has been a shy person,” Woodson said. “We just have to encourage her, and that’s what I do, but she’s got a whole village behind her.”