Our niece is a beautiful, positive young woman who has been in pageants since she was a baby. And she loves doing it! She doesn't always win (although in my biased opinion, she should) and she always accepts the judge's choice with grace and dignity. By talking with my sister-in-law, I found out that my niece actually wins some really great prizes at these pageants, mostly scholarship money for college. She participates in the pageants because she likes the girls she meets (most of the time) and is trying to get ready for college by helping out as much as she can.
But what about the cost you might ask. Yes, it does cost to enter the pageants but they do their own hair, makeup and they use dresses from homecoming, prom or previous pageants. So, they try to cut costs as much as they can to make sure they don't end up losing money.
And let me tell you, it takes guts to go up on that stage and walk in front of all those people. Guts I don't have. I'd most likely faint or trip in front of everyone. I'm not blessed by God with any kind of grace so tripping is a guarantee for me. And it's tough work. They have to prepare months in advance to make sure they are in shape, complete an interview, practice, practice, practice and smile till their faces hurt.
Now, there are some families who take the pageant competition to a whole other level. Have you ever watched those TV shows that "go behind the pageant curtain" and show what some girls go through to win? It's insane. I know that TV edits shows to make them more "exciting" and probably make the people look insane, but really! I watched one special where the girl (probably about 8-10) had fake hair, fake teeth, fake eyelashes, tons of makeup and dresses that cost more than I make in a single paycheck. That's ridiculous - a child should be able to look, dress and act like a child.
I personally believe that pageants should require all contestants to appear without makeup, without bikinis and only be allowed to present themselves as God made them. No hair pieces, no eyelashes, buck teeth and all. Let the judges judge the girls based on natural beauty, inside and out. Also, I would loooove it if they had a camera where the judges could see what the girls acted like (no cameras when changing clothes - thank you!). when they aren't on stage. And then base their scores on whether the girls are really a positive role model or if it's just an act. Makes you wonder what we would see if they did that.
Am I venting? Yep, a bit. I hate sore losers and pompous winners.
To my great envy and pride, my niece has been blessed with an abundance of hair, eyelashes that are real and reach her eyebrows and a gorgeous smile. At one event, she was even tested to see if all of her hair was real (it was). Her hair grew out so long that she donated it to Locks for Love and still had hair below her shoulders.
So, Laken, my beautiful niece - I am so proud of you. It takes courage, sacrifice and confidence to put yourself out there like that. Not many of us can do it. And congratulations on winning Most Photogenic and Christian.
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