Pageant Myths

I remember my first year of competing in the Miss America System. I was so scared. None of my friends were involved in pageants; sure we all competed in our high school pageant, but for everyone else that’s where it ended. So many of the “older girls” that I looked up to competed in pageants. I heard all the great things they had to say about it and I knew I couldn’t let my pageant experience end after high school. I signed up for my first pageant in the fall of 2003. And there have been highs and lows ever since. Most of what I learned came from experience, either doing things right or doing them wrong. I’ve put together some question and answers that I have heard through the years. Hopefully these can help someone who is thinking about competing in a pageant.

1) I been told I have to spend thousands of dollars on a dress in order to win a pageant.

That is a lie boutique owners tell you in hopes you will buy a dress from their store, or what mean girls tell you before you walk on stage in order to make you feel insecure. I can tell you stories of girls who bought their dress at a department store and won. It doesn't matter who made your dress, just how it looks on you. A dress needs to flatter your figure and reflect your personality. If you aren't comfortable in it, it will translate to the judges when you are stage. The dress I competed in was a name brand pageant dress. But I bought mine from a boutique that rents out dresses. The original price of the dress-well over $1000, my price for buying it used-$200. I used this dress about 3 years. Can’t beat that! The dress I wore for Miss Georgia USA- again well over $1000. It was part of a prom collection and was out of season so it was on sale for around $200. I worked with the boutiques alterations department and had it tailored to have more of a pageant look.

2) Do I have to wear a swimsuit if I compete in pageants?

It depends on the pageant system you compete in. For Miss America and Miss USA you will be required to compete in the swimsuit portion (or physical fitness). You are on the stage for maybe a minute. You don't have to sing, dance, answer questions, or worry about tripping on a dress train. You simply walk out, make a circle and smile. The choices for what to wear are completely up to you. You can choose between a one piece or two piece swimsuit, heels or flats. There are some very conservative options to wear.

3) The interview portion scares me a little.

I can't tell you how many times I have left an interview in tears. You get in an interview room with five people looking at you and asking you questions and it can be very intimidating. But when I started being confident in myself and the answers I gave, that is when I started to do well in pageants. I would recommend taking a speech or interview class at your high school or college. This will get you comfortable speaking in front of people. Read a newspaper, watch a newscast, have a general idea about what is going on in the world and in your community. And have confidence in the answers you give the judges. Some judges may like your answer, some may not. But they are instructed to judge you not on your opinion, but how well you give it and stick to it.

4) I have to change myself to fit what a "pageant girl" looks like.

I spent my first two years competing in pageants making sure I looked like every other girl. I straighten my hair, wore suits that hid every curve I had and wore those in between heels (you know the ones that are like 1 inch tall). I took about 6-9 months off of competing in pageant. When I started back, I remember telling my parents that I was going to do it my way. I wore my hair curly, for interview I wore a pencil skirt and a fitted mock turtle neck, with my stilettos. When asked a question, I gave the judges my opinion, no "fluff", just what I though. I decided to stop trying to be the "pageant girl" and be Marie. And you know what, I received 1st runner up.

5) I need a pageant coach.

Any person you ask will tell you something different. I started competing in pageants in order to win scholarship money, so paying money for a coach seemed to defeat the purpose of why I was in the pageant. I never had a coach, but I did have a pageant mentor (as I call her). My first year of competing in pageants, I was introduced to Joan-Marie Burns. She is a former Miss Albany, and runner up at Miss Georgia. My first few years of pageants, she helped me out tremendously. She always answered any questions I had, and had some of the best advice I've ever received. "Let the light of Jesus shine through you".

6) I’m afraid my child will develop poor self esteem or an eating disorder or ___(fill in the blank).

I have seen this happen. Each person is different so I’ll tell you my experience. I didn’t have a “pageant mom” or “pageant dad”. My parents supported what I did, but if I decided I never again wanted to set foot on a stage, they would OK with that. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for that. They were always far enough away from the pageant scene that they could tell when I was heading in the wrong direction. A few years into my pageant experience I started reading this awful pageant message board. People would right some good things, but for the most part it was a place where people wrote terrible things about contestants. I remember crying, and being so upset because of the things I read about myself. I had a director of a pageant tell me that if I won their pageant they would write it into my contract that I was not allowed to visit this message board. I had been first runner up the year before in this pageant and so badly wanted to win. I wanted to go ahead and start preparing myself mentally in case I won. So I had my parents block the website on every computer in our home, my roommate blocked it on her computer and mine, and my boyfriend blocked it from his. It may seem drastic, but it is what I needed. If you see that your daughter is heading in the wrong direction, step in. No pageant crown is worth dealing with the effects of an eating disorder, depression, or anything else.

I know this is only six questions, but this post was getting long enough. If you have any other questions please feel free to send them my way.