I saw my first live pageant after meeting my pageant coach. I was surprised to have found someone as seasoned and knowledgable as I did, especially someone who wasn’t already booked. Nonetheless, I knew that it was a much-needed aspect of my pageant experience, especially if I wanted to put forth my best effort and have a professional to teach me all of the things that I needed to know. She did a brief sizing me up before we got tickets to watch the show. I absolutely loved this lady’s aura; she enveloped so much vintage femininity, class, and grace that every woman should be taught during her upbringing. Unfortunately, that sense of class may be lost in the majority of today’s society. However, during some course of my adulthood, I’ve realized that this sophistication and poise was something that I wanted to own for myself. Luckily, embarking upon this competition, I realized, was going to teach me much more than expected.
Nonetheless, we got to watch another state’s pageant, which was my first time actually seeing a competition live. It was basically how I expected, but still different altogether. It definitely showed me all that I needed to take into consideration for my own competition: finding the perfect dress that other contestants wouldn’t trip over while onstage, finding a swimsuit that wouldn’t gather and bunch up in the back, a hairstyle that didn’t look last minute or like it was bought straight out of a bag, not being too thin or too muscular, and knowing PROPERLY HOW TO ANSWER THE JUDGES’ QUESTIONS. Surprisingly, it’s much harder than one may think.
After witnessing the pageant, I had to ask myself, is this really something that I see myself doing? Do I really want to invest the time, money, and energy into something that may not even be guaranteed? I saw all of the beautiful women on stage who did not even make it to the top 5 or final 16 and I thought, were they able to get all that they wanted out of this competition? In what ways did it make them become better women, or did they become better women at all?
I really did have to think long and hard on the matter. I do have to admit, there were some things that I saw that I did not like, but at the same time, I wanted to use this experience to make me a better Brooke. There was so much that I recognized that I could learn to progress as a woman and within my professional life. I am not sure if the girls who did not receive a title felt the same, but I felt that I would have to use it to my benefit no matter the outcome.
Brooke Leigh Howard 