I keep getting asked about my weekend competing in the Mrs. Michigan America pageant and I promised to fill everyone in, so I am finally getting some time to sit down and write part one of two posts I will be doing. This obviously is my first one. But it is a bit long so bear with me.
I want to give people an inside view to behind the scenes. What REALLY goes on…
This was my first pageant ever. In fact, I swore I’d never do a pageant, yet here I was, competing in one. There were a lot of good moments, great memories, amazing friendships made, but also unfortunately some very painful and bad parts for me which I will be sharing about in my second post…
This post if for all the women, and even men out there, who have ever wondered what it is really like to compete in a pageant, or better yet, who sit at home, comfortably on their rear ends, hiding behind their TV screen, and judging the contestants or the pageant systems, all while not even having a single clue what really goes on…
So here it is…
There is so much work behind the scenes. From staging, to lighting, to teleprompters for the emcees, and that’s just the beginning of the tech stuff. Then lets look at the actual contestants. You have HOURS of rehearsals, learning dance numbers, walking patterns, remembering cues. Walking in heels for hours upon hours, keeping your shoulders back, tummy sucked in, chin up, etc. Let’s just say its not as easy as it looks…
Not to mention during the actual live pageant, the MINUTES contestants have between sets to run, yes literally run high heels and all, to the dressing room to change outfits, hair, jewelry, shoes, and get back to their place back stage for the next set. Its crazy but honestly to me that part was super fun!
Don’t forget one of the most nerve-racking parts of all…no, not walking on stage in a swim suit, that honestly to me was a piece of cake! Instead, the private interview… 9 minutes, 5 judges, rapid fire unknown questions. It is super intense.
My hands were sweating, we were all in the dressing room freaking out, so super nervous about each of our interviews. This is pretty much the make it or break it part. Literally once it was over with, we all just relaxed and got ready for show time…
It isn’t about the makeup, hair, glitz, glam, swim suits, evening gowns. Beauty is more than skin deep. There is so much preparation involved. There is community service and bringing awareness to your platform. There is trying to really make a difference in your area and change it for the better. There are so many parts people don’t see from behind their TV screen. Yes people can make fun of Miss South Carolina for her onstage question answer “such as”, but guess what, don’t judge someone until you have been in their exact shoes.
Onstage question, you have no idea what question you will get, you have lights blaring into your eyes and shining in your face, you hear the question and literally have seconds to prepare a convincing answer…I understand why so many mess up at this point. It really is a tough part of the competition…
All that being said….after this weekend I see that many people on many different levels, not just the contestants, put in many hours of hard work to pull the actual pageant off. There a good times, bad times, ups and downs. But you just go with it. It is a total learning experience and a time for a person to truly grow. Will I do it again next year? That is totally in God’s hands…I am still coming down off an entire weekend’s worth of adrenaline 🙂
Overall I was blessed beyond measure for the opportunity and really made some amazing friends! As for the horrible parts…well stay tuned for that post to come in a few days…
As always, be blessed and above all else, realize beauty is more than skin deep, and don’t judge a book by its cover! There is truly so much beyond what the eye can see!
Blessings!!!
Megan.Raines 