There’s more to modern beauty pageants than gorgeous curves and killer smiles say the young women competing in this summer’s Miss BC World Pageant.

Dedication, caring, kindness and a passion for positive change are the true marks of beauty say the 25 B.C. beauties busy working on their modeling moves and dainty waves in advance of the big day July 20.

It’s the drive to help humankind that has most of these young ladies shining up their tiara. After all, the theme of this year’s pageant is ‘Beauty With a Purpose.’

"I believe that real beauty reveals itself in action," says Hanako Okano, 21, who will be making her runway debut at this year’s glitzy event at the Chief Sepass Theatre in Fort Langley.

"No matter how attractive someone may be, acting as a caring, considerate person towards family, friends and the community at large is by far more important," adds Okanao, who moved to Vancouver from Japan as a young teenager.

"This type of beauty cannot be faked, it cannot be enhanced by cosmetics and it is completely natural."

Okano spent much of her teens volunteering with a hospital in Tokyo. It was there that she met a close friend who would later die from cancer. Devastated, the Asian beauty decided to raise money for cancer research. Now she hopes that by winning the pageant, she will be able to boost awareness for her cause.

But still, every beauty queen needs to tone up her tummy and tune up her routine.

"I have been practicing with my dance choreographer at Gold Gym UBC," admits Okano. "It's a mix of kick boxing and using a yoga ball all set to music chosen by the pageant officials."

Vancouver is no stranger to beauty queens, or their causes. In 2003, Vancouverite Nasanin Afshin-Jam placed second amongst over 100 contestants from as many countries at the Miss World Pageant in China. She later went on to save an Iranian girl from death row after starting a petition and making speeches worldwide.

The beauties vying for a spot in next year’s Miss World pageant certainly are not without heart. Sharon Premia has made it her mandate to tackle poverty and homelessness by earning a law degree.

"This will give me an opportunity to obtain a stable and challenging career," she says. "I want to help make this world a better place and I believe that I would be able to do this by working with our government in hopes to amend and make changes in our society."

Role models for young girls today are few and far between, she says, especially with young starlets like Lindsey Lohan and Brittney Spears succumbing to the vices of fame amid hourly updates on the Internet.

"I'm very passionate about our youth and I think we need good role models who are not willing to give into peer pressure that the youth face today," she says.

The Miss BC Pageant, which is donating proceeds from this year’s event to Cops for Cancer, is for the first time inviting the public to post questions and vote for their favourite contestant at www.missbc.ca.

Sun Bains, who is of South Asian descent, says her "lineage" of "poverty and hardship" has provided her a unique perspective on the world.

"Everything my parents have achieved in Canada has been through physical labour," she says. "They have taught me the true meaning of hard work, accomplishment and to appreciate even the simple beauties of life."

Sexy and savvy, these young women will provide tough competition for one another at next week’s pageant. B.C. today, perhaps tomorrow the world for one lucky young lady.