More Than Just A Pretty Face: The Brains Behind The Pageants
Written By Dr. Stephanie Raye
Hi All,
I just ran across an article by Cheyenne Haslett that is titled the same as I titled this post, above. Check it out. (When you are done reading this, that is.) We need more articles like this to help folks appreciate that beauty pageants and scholarship competitions are about more than glamour and beauty.
One of the contestants in the linked article commented that she finds it “offensive when people think pageantry is just about beauty”. Well, I’d say I find it “unfortunate” and that it more reflects their lack of knowledge than an intention to be offensive. People can’t know what they don’t seek out or are not told. We in the pageant world need to help educate people (including media people) about the positive side of pageantry, as the linked article does.
Beauty pageants can be great opportunities for personal and professional development. And often the pageant expects, or at least prefers, the contestants to have been involved in the community and/or have a “platform” around an issue that they’d speak about if they won. In other words, about what are they willing to take a stand and raise awareness.
If you are new to pageantry, you may only know about what you see on television. Shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras” make it easy to over-generalize that that must be what all pageants are about. That’s just not the case. It’s easy to get the wrong idea, though, when even with long-standing, classier pageants like Miss America you don’t see what goes on beyond the small portion shown on television. Much like a sport or academic event, it takes dedication and hard work to compete in pageants.
There’s more to it than being physically fit and looking great in an evening gown or swimsuit. That may be what makes it into the slice of time on a TV show, but for many pageants the contestants must perform well in personal interview. You might get taste of that in their on-stage question, but often there’s a more involved interview you just don’t see.
To be well-prepared for interview, you need to know yourself, the pageant, and a bit about the world around you–so that you have something to say! That’s why I prepared great pageant interview preparation materials for you. You can find that in the Pageant Interviewing Success series of individual Kindle books on different topics or a paperback of the “Collected Series”. It covers everything, and then some! You can find it on Amazon. Even if you are experienced, you will pick up tips as these materials go much deeper and broader than anything else I’ve seen out there. :-)