Part II On More Than Just A Pretty Face, The Brains Behind Pageants
Written By Dr. Stephanie Raye
Greetings Pageant Fans,
This is picking up on my last post that talked about this article. I was going to tell you a bit about my thoughts about pageant interviewing when I competed…
When I competed, it was the interview component that excited and worried me the most! I knew it would be the toughest part and yet the best part because that’s where they could get to know me a bit better. Yes, I still exercised and practiced walking and chose clothes to flatter my figure and coloring, but I knew it was the interview that would make the difference in a situation where all the pageant contestants are beautiful. I thought that at the State level and knew the competition would just be tougher at the national level. So…
…I prepared. I put myself in the shoes of the judges and imagined questions they would ask and what qualities they’d look for in a contestant. I paid attention to what was going on in the news for my area and state, and to some degree the world. Why? My state was in the national news a fair amount at the time so it’d be silly for me to not have thought through a flexible response to the issue. I also thought about the pageant and the sponsors. (I have a story for you on this some time!) I practiced out loud, often in front of a mirror, to hear if I rambled, to see if I had unattractive mannerisms that I didn’t know about.
Without a doubt, my research and pageant interview practice helped me take home the state and national crowns. That, in turn, helped me think and prepare that way for any other interview in my future, contributing to my overall record of success. There’s more to good interview preparation than meets the eye, though. To help others, at all levels, I combined what I learned from pageants with other experiences and research from my professional fields and put that in to Pageant Interviewing Success. This material will help you make Pageant Interviewing Success easier and more effective.
So while I wouldn’t say I “disapprove” of pageants that don’t require interviews or platforms, as the contestant in the linked article does, I would agree that the pageants with interviews and/or platforms offer the broadest opportunity for growth. That said, any pageant can help contestants build confidence and a variety of other important skills if they approach the preparation, and the overall experience, with the right intentions. There are many types of pageants. Start with where you are comfortable and build from there. But don’t hesitate to challenge yourself to grow outside your comfort zone. :-) That’s where the magic happens!