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By Benjamin Nunnally
If
all beauty pageants were like
“Toddlers in Tiaras,” no one
would enter them.
Sure, the glitz factor is a real thing
that’s out there — big hair, bright makeup,
fake teeth (called “flippers”) — and it’s
even a legitimate side of pageantry, but a
plenty of pageants lean toward a natural
idea of beauty and personality. Events like
the second annual Miss Calhoun County
Pageant, held May 14 at Word Alive Church
in Oxford, take the natural approach as a
matter of course, expecting entrants to
be themselves and project who they are
without much veneer in the way.
“It gives you a sense of self and worthiness,
it makes you feel like you’re good at
something,” said Kathy Yates, co-chair of
Miss Calhoun County. “It’s rewarding.”
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Yates has more than 30 years of pageant
experience, as a contestant, a judge and a
coach and guide for her daughter, co-chair
Mindy Owens, who continues to compete
in pageants. According to Yates, girls who
become regulars on the pageant scene
tend to build up self-confidence, not only
by appearing in front of crowds, but by
being interviewed and competing with
peers. Owens echoes the sentiment.
“Growing up being on stage brought me
out of my shell. I’m very outspoken, and
would speak to anyone,” said Owens, an
Oxford high school student who is not
only involved in band, dance and other
extracurriculars, but founded her own
pageant coaching business, Pageants by
Mindy.
Owens concentrates not only on teaching
May 2016
INSIGHT