It's that time of year again, my favorite time of year, PAGEANT SEASON! Before I can tell you what it's like to "lose" a pageant, I need to tell you what it's like to compete in a pageant, wholeheartedly.
The typical pageant season kicks off with an informational tea, where you meet the reigning queens, hear all about their fun filled year, and day dream of what your year as queen would be like. You hurry home and start in right there, buying a brand new notebook to write all the answers to all the questions you would need to know. Who's the fair board president? Who's the state fair queen? What's Illinois' number one commodity? You know them all like the back of your hand.
Before you know it practices have started! You're spending one or two nights a week getting to know all the lovely girls you're competing with, and let me tell you that it is so important that you DO get to know them, because only one of these girls will walk away with a crown, a majority of you will end up in the same boat, and win or lose- these girls can become some of your closest friends, and you don't want to miss out on that opportunity. Every week you learn more to the opening dance number, you get prepped with more interview questions, and you walk away with every t crossed and every i dotted, ready for the big day.
One of my very BEST friends I've made through pageants, I am so proud of her and all of her accomplishments to come- post pageant life.
You wake up to a million notifications- via text message, via Facebook, via Instgram, via Twitter, via Snapchat, I've even had one via email- all wishing you good luck as you chase your dreams!
Good luck messages via Facebook before my last pageant.
You feel prepared as you walk through the doors to your interview. You sit in front of the judges and answer every question to the best of your abilities. You walk out feeling like a million bucks and head to your hair appointment for the onstage portion. Once you're there you text everyone you know about how well everything went! Fast forward a few hours and you're walking on stage to dance in front of an entire county of people you don't know.
Probably my favorite dance outfit, very Breakfast at Tiffany's!Josh and Joe
The next portion is the most dreaded for some, for me it was the most empowering- the swimsuit competition. County fairs are more modest than previous Miss America competitions, requiring a one piece swimsuit vs Miss America's two piece. When looking for a swimsuit to wear, a previous pageant director told me that your swimsuit should be something your grandma would wear- not too high cut, and not too low cut- so it is as conservative as a swimsuit can be.
Please ignore my fleeing eyelashes haha.Josh and Joe
You finish swimsuit and you run backstage to put on the dress of your dreams. Half naked, you look for a fellow contestant to zip up your dress and make sure your boobs are in their place- if you had any bit of shyness left, it's gone now. You walk slowly across that stage and look out at the dark mass that used to be the crowd, but by then it's 8 o'clock and you're lucky if you can still see the judges sitting right in front of you.
Evening dress competition.
The hardest parts are over now, you tried your best and laid it all on the table. Everyone goes back onstage and top 5 are announced, if you're lucky your name is one of the names called and you can feel every ounce of adrenaline pumping through your veins. One-by-one each girl comes on stage to answer a pop question and recite their speech. They award 4th runner up, 3rd runner up, 2nd, 1st, and finally queen.
Speech, this year I spoke about agriculture in Illinois.
So, what happens after the pageant is through? What happens to all those girls who spent their entire summer cramming agriculture facts in their head, vacuumed in heels for weeks, and requested a week off at work just in case they were to walk away with a shiny new crown? The following poem is one I suggest EVERY girl reads before and after competing in any pageant.
The poem of all poems, the holy grail for any pageant girl.
For me, my pageant career came to an end after becoming engaged to the love of my life. Other young women wrap up their pageant careers after winning the title, aging out, or opting out. No matter the rhyme, no matter the reason, it's a sad time for anyone. I spent the past six years of my life dedicated to my dream of becoming a pageant queen- and that's exactly what it is, DEDICATION.
Year round, you cannot post profane or obscure things on your social media like all your other 16 year old friends. You only get two days off a week, and those two days are the ones you have pageant practice on. You start to count how many times you say "like" and "um" when you talk, and you throw those words FAR out of your vocabulary. At the time, these things seemed like the end of the world, but looking back I am so grateful for these rules, because win or lose, little girls will always look up to you, simply for having the courage to walk across that stage in a bathing suit in front of everyone.
A little girl who watched me in the pageant, so I watched her show her rabbit.
I walked away from six years of pageantry with two runner up sashes and one non-finalist award; no crown, no title, and no $2,000 scholarship.
2nd Runner Up, 2015
Instead, I walked away with two weeks on fair court, learning about swine and cattle first hand in the show barns. I shook the hands of the volunteers who put together the fair year after year. I got a behind the scenes look at what all goes into a county fair from my great aunt and uncle who have served on the fair board for over 46 years. I made my own "Queen Family" out of previous fair queens I adore, and fellow contestants who will always be queens in my mind.
My great aunt and uncle, this year the fair book was dedicated to them.
Last night, I cheered on my friends as they competed and I sat on the sidelines for the first time. My heart throbbed as they danced to County Fair by Lonestar, I got goosebumps as every contestant said their speech, and I screamed when a 16 year old girl's dream came true as they placed that crown on her head. Walking out of the pageant I ran into nearly every friend I've made through pageantry, they greeted me with a hug and their well wishes.
I drove home, drank my lemon shake-up, and fell asleep beside my fiance, dreaming of our wedding on the beach. My heart is full and my dream of being a queen lives on by being the best version of myself each and every day. Every end is simply a beginning.
Future Mr and Mrs Arnold.
