Before I ever decided to compete in a pageant, I was
more understanding of the stigma that surrounds pageantry, that pageant girls
are “dumb” girls that are obsessed with nothing but appearances. While beauty
is a huge part of pageantry, there are so many other aspects to competing in a
pageant that requires women to be confident, intelligent, hard-working and
talented that I have come to be confused by how this stigma came about. Why do
we see beautiful women as unintelligent? Why do we jump on the opportunity to
make fun of a pageant girl for answering a question in a silly way on stage,
when the leaders of our cities, states and country are doing the same thing
every day? I want to break some stereotypes by explaining why I compete in
pageants and why I feel that I am growing into a very whole individual because
of pageantry.
What
it takes.
(1)
It’s
expensive. Everyone reading this may be aware of how much work
it takes to raise money to afford competing in a pageant. The wardrobe, pageant
coaching, speech coaching, make-up, pageant fees… it adds up! This is
absolutely the most expensive extracurricular activity I have ever heard of or
taken on. Learning how to effectively fundraise is a major learning point for
individuals competing in pageants.
(2)
Market
Yourself. Pageantry is all about knowing how to market yourself.
The ladies who place in pageants stand out in all areas of the competition,
starting with a good headshot. One other part of all pageants is the interview
and MC forms. These are the forms that the pageant contestants fill out to tell
the audience and judges a little bit about who they are. The judges are only
seeing you for a snap. You want this impression to WOW them. The ladies whose
interview and MC forms do not stand out, do not make it.
(3)
Fashion
Sense. A pageant wardrobe has to reflect a pageant
contestant’s sense of style, make her look amazing and stand out on stage.
Knowing how to manage a beautiful wardrobe that works on stage takes brains and
visual talent.
(4)
Confidence.
Most people—not just women—would never think about doing a runway walk on stage
in front of thousands of people. Believe it or not, being able to do this has
helped me to come out of my shell, be more confident and talk about the things
that I want to do. It is a commonly stated piece of advice that if you want to
do something, you have to talk about it. The amount of tenacity that I am
gaining through pageantry is helping me to start a private practice for
nutrition and wellness and pursue a career in modeling. Two things that
definitely would not be happening so fast without having pageantry in my life.
(5)
Standing
Up For Yourself and What You Believe In. Lastly, there
are so many stigmas surrounding pageantry and so many people who do not
understand why someone would want to compete in a pageant. Thus, pageantry has
taught me to stand up for myself and for what I believe in. Today we live in a
world where people are losing a sense of individuality. Pageantry helps to instill
the idea of individuality in the women that participate. Furthermore, a strong
individual is a person who will stand up for themselves, what they believe in
and will ultimately make the world a better place through these
characteristics.