Pageant Proud
Originally posted on April 11th, 2017
As a titleholder, volunteer, and director in pageantry, I have a voice to stand up for pageants and the amazingly positive impact they can make on women’s lives. It would be a waste of my time as Mrs. Indiana to NOT share more about pageants, so that those who feel so negatively about them can learn about it from a source outside of a movie or fake reality television show. Because, how can anyone be against building confidence, awarding scholarship money, and promoting talent? Pageantry is too often misunderstood by those who simply do not know what it takes to compete. As someone who has reaped the benefits of competing in pageantry, I feel compelled to help educate those who don’t understand why pageants are such a wonderful way for women to showcase their strengths and empower each other. There are a few common myths and misconceptions I would like to address and debunk:
False: You have to send tons of money to compete.
True: Costs depend greatly on the pageant and on the contestant. While some do have entry fees, some do not. The Miss America Organization does not have an entry fee, but rather you are required to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network in place of an entry fee. While some contestants may buy gowns or talent costumes, many choose to borrow these things. Pageantry is a sport. Some football players may have the most expensive cleats; some may have their brother’s hand-me-down cleats. Anyone can be successful in football if they work hard, train hard, and dedicate themselves. The same is true of pageantry and there is no set price. I competed in my first pageant in 2009. I wore my aunt’s pageant gown from 1990. And I won. Sure, over the course of my nine years of competing, I have spent money when and where necessary just like a basketball player wants new balls or tennis shoes or a guitar player buys more picks, but money spent certainly does not have an impact on success.
False: Pageants promote unhealthy dieting and exercising habits.
True: On the contrary, one of the best things about pageantry is how many life lessons you learn, including healthy eating and exercising habits. Pageants promote health and fitness, and competing is how I learned to achieve my body goals the right way. Judges are not looking for a skinny woman; they are looking for a healthy and strong woman. Within both the Miss America Organization and the Miss Universe Organization, the teen portion of the fitness competition is completed in athletic wear, not swimsuits (and MAO eliminated the fitness category for Miss contestants recently- My thoughts on that are long-winded and would call for an entirely separate post). In MAO (Miss America Organization), teen contestants learn a fitness routine with push ups, squats, etc. and perform that routine on stage, fully emphasizing the importance of healthy lifestyles. I have friends who have credited their recovery from eating disorders to pageants. They went from trying to fit in and hating their bodies to learning, through pageants, how to love themselves and gain the confidence they needed to push through their eating disorder or self-harm. Pageants celebrate women working to be their best selves.
False: Pageants are just about outer beauty.
True: No. Just no. Pageantry is not about hair or nails, it is not about comparing one contestant to another. Pageants do not divide women, they bring them together. From my experiences, involvement in pageantry or other sports or hobbies increases feelings of acceptance and belonging because you are a part of something bigger than yourself. Pageants create a sisterhood much like a team or sorority. I have gained so many friendships across the globe from competing, and these women are often the first to support me, encourage me, or wish me a happy birthday. I have been able to lean on them in times of need and have only experienced an improvement in my quality of life because of these relationships. Generally speaking, women who compete in pageants are women who are striving to use the crown as a microphone to speak out about important issues facing people in the world today. My pageant friends are doctors, lawyers, teachers, dietitians, engineers. They are working for Congress, running marathons, raising children, and fundraising for charity. When women are so driven and when you surround yourself with such motivating and inspiring women, you are inspired to constantly better yourself and work harder to make yourself happier, more satisfied in your personal and professional life, and to keep pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. To say that success in pageantry is only about outward characteristics, or that pageant gals don’t have any substance is laughable when my pageant friends have PhDs, own their own businesses, and represent many shapes, sizes, and ethnicities.
False: Winning a pageant is about winning the crown and sash.
True: I give credit to my pageant background for my personal and professional successes in life. The areas in a pageant often include interview, gown, fitness, onstage question, and many times talent. I would not have the interview skills, confidence, or speaking ability that I do had I not practiced these skills as a contestant and as a titleholder. There are many parallels between pageantry and teaching. I am able to stand up in front of my classroom, teach, and interact with parents and administrators alike because the speaking engagements and onstage questions I have faced. I am able to connect to and adapt to different audiences, make decisions quickly, and work under pressure. I am thankful for pageant interviews, as I am always up-to-date on current events, and constantly forced to self-reflect, as I must know myself and where I stand when asked for my opinion on political, local, or global issues. Duhhh I like wearing my sparkling crowns because hello, feminism- I am allowed to like sparkles AND be smart, remember? But you can have my crowns and banners for all I care because you cannot take away everything I have learned and the exponential amount of growth I have made because of the journey to those crowns and banners.
My participation in pageantry has given me friendships, scholarships, and the keys to success in life. I love that I was able to meet people from all over Indiana and all over the world and that I have maintained friendships formed through pageantry for many years. I am thankful for the thousands of dollars of scholarship money I obtained, as it helped me pay for my college education at Purdue University. I encourage anyone interested in making an impact in her community to enter a pageant, as it gave me the opportunity to form my platform and make a difference, and instilled in me a heart for service. Pageantry is not about how expensive a gown is, how much you weigh, or how you wear your hair. It is about celebrating success in the classroom or on the job, encouraging community service and involvement, and rewarding poise, confidence, and dedication to making the world a better place. If I can help young women in the Hoosier state on their journey in some way big or small, then I am giving back to the very community of people in which I am so proudly made. It is because of my directors over the years that I always felt so loved and supported, so it is now my time to give that same love and support to my titleholders. I love that I am now able to give advice to women, help them grow, and play a small part in their journey to becoming people who make such an impact across the state with their intelligence and talents. I will forever and always be thankful for what pageantry has brought into my life.
