By Kristina Rowe, Ms. United America Ambassador
An expensive pageant wardrobe? A perfect figure? Lots of social connections? No, no, and no. What you need much more than those things is the ability to be resourceful. If you can evaluate your strengths and put them to work against your “weaknesses”, you can be as successful as someone who started out with all the right stuff.
Being resourceful can help you with the things you don’t have. To get that perfect swimsuit body, you may need a fitness coach and you certainly need dedication to your fitness routine. If your teeth are less than perfect, cosmetic dentistry can give you that beautiful smile you want. You might even find a sponsor to provide it for you. Sponsors can help with that expensive evening gown, or you may use your creativity to make an affordable gown into a stunner. Poor posture or a less than stellar modeling style can be improved over time. Does the thought of an onstage question make your heart stop? With commitment and practice, you can overcome this.
Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri |
You may have a mental list of many other things you need in order to win your pageant. Having connections in the pageant world is desirable, but you don’t need them to win. You want connections because the best advice for improvement comes from insiders. Just about everything mentioned so far is something you can improve with preparation and or assistance from coaches and professionals. And if you don’t have the resources to commit to the improvement process, you can still win a pageant. You may need to look for a pageant system with competition areas where your strengths shine. There are so many pageants now that it’s easy to find one that’s right for you. Again, resourcefulness is the key.
National Pageant Coach Kyle Haggerty |
Pageant Coach Chris Franz |
Resourcefulness will get you very far, but even that is not the one thing you need to win a pageant. So what is this one thing that every pageant queen must have? I’m convinced that there is not a single titleholder anywhere who does not have a genuine, engaging smile.
Rolene Strauss Miss World 2014 |
Regardless of how perfect your teeth are or aren’t or how full your lips are, your smile has to be dazzling in a way that connects you with people. It has to be genuine, and it has to light up your face. A genuine smile comes from being a genuinely happy person. It comes from a person who knows how to enjoy the pageant experience and whatever it brings. The ability to connect to people with a smile reflects your appreciation for other people and your graciousness. If you truly like people and look for the best in them, you will smile more often and in a more real way. If smiling is a habit for you, you won’t’ have to turn it on when you go onstage. Your delight will show. If you do not instinctively smile at people or beam with happiness, this is the one thing you must learn to do. Pretend every person you come into eye contact with is a judge, and flash them a grin. Imagine how you will beam when you finally win that crown, and then share that smile often. It makes you more beautiful. And it’s the one thing you can’t win a pageant without!