Pageant Interview Tip: Military Holidays - Be Sure You Know “The Obvious”

Written By Dr. Stephanie Raye

It’s amazing how much we assume we know or take for granted. We might think it is “obvious” what a certain holiday is for, but not appreciate subtle differences or history. Take a minute to be well-prepared.

For instance, today is Memorial Day. If your pageant was any time within a week or two before or after, there’s a chance a pageant judge would ask you a pageant interview question related to the holiday.

Or, if you are making an appearance as a beauty contest titleholder, an audience member or someone from the media might ask you something about it. After all, if you are aiming for a state or national pageant title in the United States of America, it’s only reasonable to believe that you’d know, and care, about our national holidays.

So what do you know?

You should be prepared to answer “easy” pageant interview questions like “Does your family have a Memorial Day tradition? If so, what is it?” That should be pretty straightforward, though be sure to see my post on the hidden power of “simple” questions to be sure you optimize your response.

But what about the holiday itself?   Do you know why we (in the USA) celebrate Memorial Day?  Do you know how it is different from Veteran’s Day?

Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that you have to be a walking encyclopedia, but some basics would be good.

For instance, it’d be good if you knew that Memorial Day-related celebrations started in response to the U.S. Civil War way back in 1868. Do you have to remember that date? Not unless your pageant paperwork says you are a history major!

But you should have the idea that it started to honor those who died in our sad and bloody Civil War. (May we never have another!)  That’s how it started but after World War I it shifted to being a day that honored U.S. Americans who died in any war. You should know at least that–that it honors those who died.

Veteran’s Day, on the other hand, is to honor both the living and the dead of all veterans. Indeed, we want to be thankful of those who did not die during their military service, or are still working in the military. Veteran’s Day was originally to honor those who served in World War I, as it was started back in 1918 when that war ended. But after World War II it was changed to honor all living or dead military personnel ever onward.

It’s worth the few minutes to any pageant contestant or titleholder to learn about, or refresh the memory on holidays near the competition or appearance dates. Too often we go into automatic pilot and forget to remember what really matters, or, worse yet, we might think holidays are just a day off. Butut most of them started for important historical reasons and deserve our respect and genuine remembrance.

Thus, no matter what your personal stand is on military matters or U.S. Foreign Policy, remembering what these holidays mean, and the sacrifices behind them is important for a thoughtful pageant queen.

Especially if you, or someone you love, has been in, or is aiming to be in, the military, learn about the military-related holidays. Even if you don’t have Armed Forces connections, if you are competing in a United States-based pageant or at the international level representing the U.S.A, you “should” know this stuff. It might never come up as a media or pageant interview question for you. But, really, it isn’t asking too much for you to know about our holidays.

Inspire yourself and others by knowing about our national holidays. And if the opportunity presents itself to weave in appropriate information about it in response to a pageant interview question, then that’s great! Especially if it relates to your platform, of course, but, either way, the judges will likely be impressed that you honor those that served on our behalf.

To be a good pageant queen means being a well-informed titleholder. So know what you can about your unique locale, your state, and our great nation and represent the area with sensitivity and pride!  

There is so much that can assist you in shining your brightest and the concept of smart preparation and optimal attitudes and approaches in my Pageant Interviewing Success Made Easy program. Check it out soon to give yourself that competitive edge. Also find more at http://PageantToPhD.com and at Facebook and Twitter @PGNTIntrvwQueen.