Lights, camera, action! Now, it might be hard to believe, but there is a regular, normal human being behind that perfect smile, flawless airbrushed finish, and big bright eyes. I bring you, “The life of a pageant girl.”

Most people assume pageant girls are the stereotypical type , which may or may not be true. For example, I’ve heard that pageant girls are valued mainly for their looks and are skinny, blonde, and are unable to locate U.S.A on the map.

Nevertheless, I’m not here to discuss whether that’s true or not, I’m here to introduce you the life of a pageant girl. So I bring you three important aspects that are often brought up when talking about pageants. 1.) What are the preparations in becoming a pageant girl? 2.) Why the hell is Toddlers and Tiaras still running on T.V?  3.) What are the prizes?

1) Becoming a pageant girl;

Regardless if you’re “born to do it” or not, you must be obviously interested in it and ready to deal with the possible issues that come with being beautified. To become a beauty pageant girl, you must prepare yourself to deal with hair problems such as extensions, color, volume, shape, length, and texture. Next is make up. Your smile needs to be perfect; so let’s invest in porcelain veneers to create the perfect teeth. Oh, and your body, which also has to be perfect. Your skin tone has to have a flawless finish with no marks. Oh and don’t forget to figure out what’s going to go on that little tiny body of yours. Have you thought about how expensive all those dresses are? There are cocktail dresses, evening dresses, and bathing suits! But wait, there’s more!  You must have the perfect pageant coach as well, to tell you the tips and tricks of how to make it in the pageant world. Lastly and most importantly, if you want to become a beauty pageant queen, you must wear your confidence best! So once you are ready to deal with those necessities, be ready for the next step! I hope I did not overwhelm you!

Looking for more information on becoming a pageant girl? Well I spoke to someone who’s experienced it first-hand. Monique has been in a pageant herself, and says, “Becoming a pageant girl takes more than beauty preparation, one must also know what pageants they want to be a part of and represent. Each pageant is different such as Miss. World, Miss Universe, Miss America, or Miss Grand Supreme. Therefore each one represents something different and unique and you must go to the one that applies to you better. However the glitz does very much help with your over all score.”

2)  Toddlers and Tiaras

We all have a semblance of the pageant world through show called Toddlers and Tiaras. It’s not a bad thing for little girls like to get dressed up in pretty dresses and have mother-daughter bonding time, however I believe the parents on that show are bringing it to an extreme, causing over exploitation of their children. Other than the fact that I cant grasp why some parents get fake teeth for their poor child, it hurts me more to see that some mothers wont even allow their child to go run outside because they might fall and get a scratch or bruise, damaging their chances of winning. I feel pageants like these robbing children of their childhood and all the fun they could be having. Some of them might even believe that in order to be pretty, they must be perfect from a young age.

Monique responded with a simple answer, saying “I don’t think kids should be getting tans if their teeth haven’t even grown in yet, its just wrong. If the child enjoys competing and getting all ready then so be it. However when one tunes in and watches the show more than half the kids are crying in it, I don’t think they are enjoying it, I think its ridiculous.”

3)   Prizes!

Through a long process of research I have come across why people spend thousand of dollars in these pageants. To start off, younger pageant girls receive tons of little things like makeup cases!  However when it comes to pageants for older girls, the prize is generally money, with prizes  from $500-$10,000! But that’s not all. For most pageant girls, they only have one thing on their mind, the winning sashes that will be placed on them with the titles “Miss. Grand Supreme,” “Miss USA,” or “Miss Universe.” No quantity of money can beat the tit\tle of being the best in the world, let alone the universe.

Why does Monique compete in pageants? She explains that although the prizes are amazing, nothing will beat the friends that she makes along the way! Some of the girls she has come across in pageants have really left a mark. Monique explains that since everyone is going through the same process, you still bond with your competition as you go through the highs and lows together. Monique dislikes the typical stereo type of pageant girls being extremely catty. Monique says that although pageants are dramatic, it’s nothing like the drama you see in movies.

Featured Image from TexasTesla