You Can’t Turn Off As Miss America
I watched the Miss America pageant with my folks because mom likes to see who can pick the winners the best. We have quite a bit of fun with it, but it is a bit strange to judge the swimsuit competition with your parents there. Let’s face it, none of the contestants would be below a 8 on any given scale from 1 to 10, so at that level you are splitting hairs.
Anyway, one comment I heard from a contestant that the challenge of being a Miss State or Miss America, is that when you are out and about, you can’t ever let down your guard, you cannot turn off being in the spotlight. You represent something more than yourself. On stage, everyone sees you, knows your name and they think that somehow you know theirs. But more importantly, the stage magnifies who you are, and every positive attribute and negative attribute is magnified as well. Those who you know, the state you are from all identify themselves with you and they are hoping that you will make them proud.
Miss America Wants It
To achieve the honor of Miss America you have to do what is necessary to become the best, or at least better than your competition. But what does that mean? What do you have to become best at? Well, in a word, you have to become best at being your best self. It is knowing your strengths and weaknesses and being wise in the choices you make. The judges are of varying backgrounds and I don’t know what criteria they use or how they combine the results, but the purpose I am sure is to keep each judge’s opinions under lock and key and tally the numbers anonymously so a fair result comes out. So, the result is, the winner is decided by the way the panel is set up more than it is on actual merit. However, I am quite sure the point system is set up to eliminate as much subjectivity as possible. I do not subscribe to the theory that the judges get together to support a certain agenda. I also assume that the point system would make impossible the set up of some agenda or favoritism for whatever reason.
In tonight’s contest, clearly Miss Oklahoma was the best all around candidate. She had the best body, a great gown, maybe not the best but lets face it, someone like that can wear paper bags and look good, had a professional level talent and spoke very well and honestly, not to mention having a beautiful face. But, maybe she was too polished for the judges. Miss New York won, and she did a great job with her Bollywood talent.
Miss America Is A Great Program
I have sung for local pageants and it was great fun to do. The contestants do it to get scholarships and to kick start their career. It also forces the women to present themselves well. You are forced to express yourself well and communicate clearly, and at these young ages it takes a lot of poise to handle that. At the local level, contestants are allowed to compete in as many pageants as they want, in order to win and then go to state. Some are semi-professional pageantiers.
Although the talent portion of the competition is for me a bit questionable, it does show whether the contestant spent her time at the mall or had the discipline to pursue some sort of art or skill. Most of the contestants will not become professionals at whatever talent they choose, that is obvious, some may, but more importantly it shows that they have more going for them than a good looks and a nice body.
Miss America Sets A Standard For Everyone
What if everyone went out into the day with the attitude that you can’t ever turn off being you? What if everyone went into the day presenting themselves as a star, as if the world was watching, as if they represented something higher than themselves? What if you stood for a cause and excelled in every area of your life, not to win a contest or to impress anyone, but just because you wanted to get the most out of yourself and being you? What would happen if everyone greeted people as if they were the king of the prom or the queen of the pageant? Would the world not be a better place? If everyone was in a contest to be the best they can be in every area?
Maybe we should all stop settling for second place in our lives. Maybe we should squeeze every bit of excitement out of life that we can, meet the day with a winning smile and be just a little bit more Pollyanna in our outlook. To be Miss America you can’t afford to be cynical or sarcastic. As the Queen of the United States, you can’t be negative and pessimistic, you will not win.
I have a great respect for people who get themselves ready everyday, present themselves well dressed, open and with a smile and offer words of encouragement and praise. Those who develop their talents, and have a high level of ambition to be the best they can be and to make the lives of others better. Most of all those who aren’t afraid to be themselves and express that without saying the politically correct thing.
Being authentic is important in Miss America and you can pick out those who try to play the role of beauty queen and those who are genuine in who they are. Talent wise, the winners do what they truly love and not to impress anyone, but to express who they are.
There is the saying that you don’t have to be more than you are, it is enough to be the best at who you are. That is a contest you can win every time!
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