I did my very pageant when I was 17 years old. I was recently out of high school and pageants were not high on my radar. I grew up watching Miss USA and Miss America on TV like most pageant girls but, I never saw it as something that I could do.....pageants. I used to look at those girls as being this almost fairytale version of the best characteristics you could only dream of being. From their effortless beauty, to their articulated answers and gowns that would make your jaw drop.
Yes, modeling is a part of pageantry but pageants are so much more than that.
Somehow, a letter came in the mail about a pageant. It was a National American Miss (NAM) pageant. I was not familiar with pageants at all, I didn't know how huge the National American Miss system was, and I honestly didn't know much about it at all. I just knew I wanted to enter and see what pageants were all about.
I went into pageants completely blind. I knew I needed a nice gown, and I knew that they had all of these categories that you could enter. I did have a great gown that I happened to find for a really great price. I don’t remember exactly how much it was but it was less than $50.
I don't have that gown anymore but, I do remember it was cream, with gold sparkles, it sparkled like a disco ball and the straps didn't fit that well lol.
Social Media was not as huge back then, so I don't have any pictures...I know that may sound crazy lol! I really wish it did, so I could have pictures of that moment.
I remember going to the pageant, seeing all of these girls, the stage and thinking "What did I get myself into??".
When it came to interview I was completely unprepared. I wrote on my bio sheet in pen (which is a huge No!). I wore this black pant suit that had strips in it, it did absolutely nothing for me. I went in that interview room and saw girls in these bright colored suits with skirts.... I automatically felt so out of place. For the interview, you had to sit at a table to speak to the judges and I remember a judge asked me a super simple question like “What’s your favorite movie?” I don't remember what I said. I just knew that I basically said "ummm, idk" and couldn't relay think of anything (how embarrassing!). Let’s just say I did not win interview.
National American Miss, also has an onstage introduction category that you are scored on, I completely made up something on the spot. I remember watching this one girl , and she clearly had her intro memorized and even sang in hers....she also ended up winning for that division.
To sum it up, my first pageant, did not go as well as I envisioned it would go. Honestly, I did not feel great about it. I left feeling bad, insecure and just not great overall. However, after some time passed, I wanted to do another pageant. And that was the start of my “Tiara Obsession”.
I had to learn in every experience you are not going win, whether it’s a pageants or in life. You have to learn from your experiences and use them to help you grow. That is what I did, and what I continue to do.
I would have never thought, that my first pageant experience would have led me to something I love till this day (even though I haven't competed in a few years ). I have had some great, memorable experiences from competing in pageants. It has helped me with so many things ....that I will talk about in a future blog post. Of course, if it wasn't for that first time, I wouldn't have started this blog. Which I love doing!!
My first pageant wasn’t perfect, but it was mine.
* I couldn't find pics from my first pageant, thanks to disposable cameras...these are pics throughout my pageant years.
Join us for our first Twitter chat on March 7th at 8pm! We will talk about First Pageant Experiences. Use the hashtag #TiaraObsessions Subscribe on YouTube and Follow on Twitter @tiaraobsessions to join us for a twitter chat !
XoXo- Shadei
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| Our Guest Blogger, Abby Mansolillo is an avid pageant competitor. She has competed in Miss RI Teen USA, Miss High School America and held the title of Miss Rhode Island High School America 2015 . She is sharing her tips for success in pageantry. (Photo: Daniel Gagnon) |
Congratulations on
beginning this amazing journey! Please understand that most girls are really
scared to compete in their first pageant, so if this sounds like you, don’t
worry! Everyone is in the same boat-we’ve
all been
all been a new pageant girl!
With that being said, I’m sure there are tons of people who are giving you
pieces of advice left and right. Everyone means well, but it can be super
overwhelming! Don’t worry about remembering every single piece of advice. Just
smile and thank them for their support. It will prove to be incredibly
meaningful!
I have competed in
seven pageants, six were state pageants and one was a national competition. I started my
journey when I was fourteen years old, at Miss Rhode Island Teen USA. I entered
a month before and found a dress on the Nordstrom website. I didn’t
know what I was doing. Surprisingly, I ended up making the Top 12 and that’s
when I caught the bug. I continued competing in different systems, and held the title of Miss Rhode Island High School America 2015 and competed at Miss High School
America later that year. I have since competed in Miss RI Teen USA three other
times, placing in the Semi-Finals twice and the Top 5 once. I have learned so
much throughout this pageant journey. So here are my Top 10 most important tips for
first-time pageant competitors.
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| Follow Abby on Instagram @abbymansolillo |
1)
When it comes to interview competition, know
yourself inside and out but, don’t sound rehearsed!
Most pageant competitions require a personal interview portion with the judges, before the onstage competition. This is an incredibly significant part of the pageant, because it is the time judges get to meet you and get a sense of your personality. This is your chance to convince them that you are their WINNER! Make sure you feel comfortable being yourself, but you don’t want sound programmed. It’s important to practice your answers pre-pageant but, you don’t want to sound like you’re spitting out an answer that you think judges want to hear.
2) Make a
Checklist.
As ridiculous and miniscule as it sounds, checklists
are SO important, especially for us competitors. The last
thing you want is to forget something and be scrambling on pageant weekend. I’ve learned it’s always better to be overpacked than
underpacked.
3) Do your
homework!
You wouldn’t go into a math exam without practicing some problems, right? I heavily recommend watching pageants and seeing what other girls have done onstage. See what worked and what didn’t. Find some old Miss USA and Miss America videos and watch how they walk, perform and talk onstage. Visualize yourself doing the same thing!
I’ve seen it, and so have you...that girl that's competing in a pageant (be it a local, state, or a national level competition) and she has a gown that makes you CRINGE! But, watch how she carries herself in it. She holds her head a little higher than the girl next to her , she seems to glide across the runway, and somehow, she wins. We may all be shaking our heads but, at the end of the day the dress will not win or lose a pageant for you. I’ve seen girls spend thousands of dollars on wardrobe and still not walk away with the title. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to feel like you have already won. If you feel beautiful onstage, you will surely shine. Don’t worry about what others say about your wardrobe. Wear what you feel best in and what you can see yourself being crowned in.
5.Invest in a trainer or pageant coach
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| Guest Blogger: Abby Mansolillo |
6.Walk in your heels
I cannot stress this enough. DO NOT let the first time you
wear your shoes, bathing suit, evening gown, whatever, be the day of
preliminary competition. You need to be comfortable walking in everything, so
that way you look super relaxed onstage. Clear off your kitchen and walk, put
your heels on while you’re making dinner, or throw your
bathing suit on with some runway music (a quick YouTube search of past Miss USA
competitions will help). There are tons of ways to be ready to compete, so make
it happen!
7. Get your family and friends involved!
These are people who are always behind you, 100%. Competing
in a pageant is incredibly exciting, and it’s
something to be proud of! Tell your family and friends! Have them come watch, and explain to them how important this is to you. Plus, I’ve
found that it always helps to hear them yelling your name when you’re
onstage-it’s one big adrenaline rush!
8) Don’t
get too lost or overwhelmed with wanting to win.
Yes, you’re
there on pageant weekend for one reason: you want that crown. So is every other
girl there-so you may as well enjoy yourself. Competing in a pageant is a
beautiful thing; it’s also something that not many girls do. The young women
that you meet are ones, who are just like you! They have the same interests as
you do; they’re trying to make something of themselves, and many of them will
come back to the pageant system. You’ll see them often, and that is what makes
pageants a true sisterhood-and that’s special.
9. At the end of the
day, understand that you are already in the arena of winners, win or lose.
Like I mentioned in Tip Number 8, not many girls
have the nerve to get onstage in a bathing suit and heels. Competing in a
pageant is really putting yourself out there, you are very vulnerable! Just
by competing, you have already won. Memorize that feeling of adrenaline that
surges through your blood when you hear your name called. Recall the silence
you feel when you walk away, after a pageant hasn’t
gone the way you hoped. Competing
in a pageant and being a part of this sisterhood, is not just wearing a
pretty dress and pinning a crown to your head. It is about doing community
service during your reign, and encouraging others to do the same. It is
about feeling confident when you look at yourself in the mirror,
and passing that joy onto other women.
10. Have Fun !
This one is super self-explanatory. You dictate
how your experience is going to go during pageant weekend. You can choose to take
advantage of this amazing opportunity and leave with new friends or
you can keep to yourself and say you had an “okay”
weekend. The choice is purely yours. Most of all, have a good time. If
you have friends backstage to dance, pray, and laugh with, that inner light
will shine through onstage.
Note from the Guest Blogger: I have been competing in pageants for four years now, and
I still get super excited and nervous come pageant weekend. These are just
starting points for new competitors, so feel free to email me at aemansolillo44@gmail.com
with any questions, comments or concerns!
Good Luck ! XO
Abby Manosolillo
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Want to be a guest blogger or have pageant questions email tiaraobsessions@gmail.com
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