When one first hears the word “pageant,” they may at first think of a simple beauty competition full of glamour and sparkly dresses, and while there is certainly lots of glamour and lots of sparkly dresses involved in these events, there is so much more to pageants than what at first meets the eye.
Over the last few years, I have been introduced to a few young women involved in the Miss America Organization who have dedicated so much of their time to master their pageantry craft, and I can say without a doubt that they are some of the most hardworking and driven people I have come to know. The Miss America Organization emphasizes not only beauty, but also women’s achievements, community service, individual talents, and devotion to positive impacts on society. As I attended my first pageant this weekend – The Miss Placentia/Miss Yorba Linda Competition (a preliminary to Miss California and Miss America competitions) – I watched as each candidate performed in a competition that would change each of their lives, whether or not they brought home a tiara.
The pageant consisted of a variety of different categories, such as: a private interview (worth 30% of the overall score), fitness (worth 20% of the overall score), talent (worth 20% of the overall score), evening wear (worth 20% of the overall score), and the on stage question (worth 10% of the overall score). As the night went on and I watched all of the young women compete in each category, I was astonished at the levels of talent and passion I witnessed all in one room. Although there were only four winners at the end of the night, each lady involved in the pageant deserved all of the praise they could get.
“I never thought I would be anywhere involved with pageantry… I never thought I fit what people stereo-typically thought pageantry to be, and I admit to having had those thoughts myself. But, after joining the program, it’s done much more for me than I ever thought it could – giving me a platform to promote social issues I’m passionate about, forcing me to get more involved in my community, and, most of all, helping bring out enough inner confidence to do something I never would have done in a million years”
— Lauren Han (12)
A few students of YLHS competed in the pageant, such as Lauren Han. Lauren was awarded with second runner up which is an honorable accomplishment. I was in awe as I watched her perform a song on the harp during the talent portion of the night. I got the chance to talk with Lauren about her experience and how the Miss America Organization impacted her life:
The Wrangler: “Lauren, how did it feel when you found out you were the second runner up and all of your hard work had paid off?”
Lauren Han (12): “There was a wide-range of emotions felt when my name was called on the stage – and I’m not just talking about the blisters on my feet from wearing heels for five hours straight. If I am being honest, there were a lot of unfortunate circumstances and heavy chaos both on and off stage for me, from the beginning of the day til the very end. But when I was being crowned, I was simply honored to have shared the stage with such confident and talented girls and felt incredibly grateful for the endless amounts of support from family and friends.”
The Wrangler: “What was it like performing and speaking in front of such a large audience?”
Lauren: “No amount of practice could have prepared me for the moments where I had to answer onstage questions… You have an idea of what you want to say in your head, but it’s much more challenging than people think to successfully deliver those thoughts into the mic in one single attempt, especially with the pressure of every word being taken into consideration. Even though I had prepared a lot, I struggled with the conflicting answer choices in my head and to quickly pick the most appealing option.”
The Wrangler: How has the Miss America Organization changed your life over the last few months?
Lauren: “I never thought I would be anywhere involved with pageantry… I never thought I fit what people stereo-typically thought pageantry to be, and I admit to having had those thoughts myself. But, after joining the program, it’s done much more for me than I ever thought it could – giving me a platform to promote social issues I’m passionate about, forcing me to get more involved in my community, and, most of all, helping bring out enough inner confidence to do something I never would have done in a million years.”
