smile, easily seen from the last row of the audience. What is that je ne sais quoi? It’s happiness.
Miss America is a blonde-haired, white gown world, but when Laura Kepplar walked out in that black gown, she was the brightest light on the stage. It’s simple. The right gown is right because the competitor loves it. It might not be expensive, or even designer, but a beautifully unique and happy girl will always win over a uncomfortable girl in a “perfect” gown. What’s more, if a gown doesn’t look just like everyone else’s, it will stand out! It is important to remember that, as long as the dress fits the pageant’s guidelines and the contestant’s body, an individualistic gown that makes the competitor happy will allow for fewer regrets later.
This same rule applies for the interview competition. Nobody wants to be the girl whose mind goes blank onstage, staring at
An experienced pageant contestant knows several truths. First, pageants are not a hobby. Pageants are a way of life, from awakening to a methodic moisturizing regimen to the time spent in the car going mad over the perfect interview answer. Second, pageant contestants spend hours at the gym and sacrifice at the mall, just to save up for THE gown. Third, when the competition arrives, and after slaving away to acheive a competition wardrobe and look exactly like last year’s winner, the phrase “It just wasn’t your day” can never soothe the sting of being named first runner up—for the second year in a row.
What’s a girl to do? What if all that hard work just isn’t enough? What is the biggest reason that some girls never win that crown? The answer is simple: Winners stay true to themselves.
Pageant winners always have that special glow. A great example is Olivia Culpo’s
Crafting Your Pageant Identity
The Importance of Personal Authenticity in Competition
By Amanda Begovatz