Panties, Poop, Porn, and a Pageant

After a full three months of preparation, I competed in my first pageant.  Natured as a Southern Belle and with Kentucky roots, I was able to follow in my mother’s footsteps and demonstrate femininity, class, and maturation in my womanhood.  For that, I am grateful despite the outcome.  I learned so much through my experience, and I can honestly say that I would love to do it again.  For one, I love being onstage as a performer.  It also allowed for me to grow within myself.  Finally, I had the chance to meet a phenomenal group of women who I plan to keep in touch with going forward.  I am anticipating further competitions where I can use the experiences to move onward with my career, in hopes that I can touch the lives and boost the confidence of other young women.

As soon as a contestant registers at the hotel for the pageant, she is officially “on”.  At that point, the competition begins.  Everything is taken into consideration: demeanor, wardrobe throughout pageant weekend (which I will say that I was surprised by the alarming number of club dresses worn during the interview portion), how she treats other contestants and pageant staff, etc.  However, it’s so nice how smoothly everything goes.  I clicked with a couple of girls right off the bat when stepping into the waiting room for my interview; one of whom ended up being my roommate and a super sweet girl.

The biggest takeaway from the male host was “Panties, Poop, and Porn”.  He served as our unofficial favorite uncle for the weekend.  One, always wear panties while onstage (thongs do not count).  There were a number of times when girls showed more than the audience bargained for in previous shows.  Two, there were cases where some girls’ nerves were so shot that their stomachs got the best of them; hence, take Pepto Bismol to prepare.  One of the staff members had to completely clean a girl up before she had the chance to compete one year.  Tragic and disgusting.  Finally, if you have the chance of taking home the crown and have starred in a porno at any point in your life, save yourself the trouble and embarrassment and “magically” get so sick that you cannot be in the show.  We were constantly reminded of these notes throughout the entire weekend.  I’d like to think that they can be applied to every aspect of life, however.

The “girl power” weekend was filled with a group of gorgeous girls bonding during dance rehearsals, practicing model walks, talking about professional and personal aspirations, and ending it all with a dance party and the pageant staff’s idea of “comfort food”.  The pageant staff treated us all like their extended family; it was as if we really did create personal relationships over the course of three days.  Overall, I am quite proud of my efforts in the pageant from body toning; grooming enhancement; and my growing knowledge of etiquette, fashion, and beauty.  I may have been a little over-prepared (I learned proper and fine etiquette with my coach, which completely was not necessary in this system), but I put forth the best ME that I possibly could.  My interview was phenomenal, which my favorite question was why I’d love to meet Whoopi Goldberg, and I was one of the only women who actually came in dressed professionally and the ONLY contestant who did not wear her hair down during the competition.  It was all like a show to me, an ongoing performance – and you know how I love to stand out and have an audience.

More importantly, I was so thankful for the number of people who were there physically and spiritually to support me.  That is huge to have people to believe in your dreams along with you, regardless of how far you have to travel to the stars and back.  I was flooded with roses, well wishes, and a congratulatory cheesecake when the entire journey was over.  I am not sure if the several thousand spent was worth it or the fact that my $700 dress would hardly allow me to move with its heavy beading embellishment, but the end result was and still is worth more than words can describe.  I now have the proof WITHIN MYSELF to hold and maintain confidence.  Thank you for traveling with me 🙂

Until the next competition, thank you!  And remember: Panties, Poop, and Porn.  Really, it’s pretty simple.