This feature article was awarded an Honorable Mention by Scholastic Art and Writing. See the PDF here. “I was going in ready to fight,” admits senior Sophia Johnson about the 2018 National American Miss pageant in Maryland. Not her fellow contestants, but the pageant industry itself. Sophia, like many others, had negative preconceptions about pageants prior to competing in one herself. “I definitely had a bias… I was like, ‘if there are any male judges, I’m going to call them out… if they ask me stupid questions,’” Sophia says. Most beauty pageants include various categories, ranging from those focused on appearance to personality. Miss Maryland Teen USA, in particular, judges its contestants on three categories: evening gown, interview, and athletic wear, according to Bobbi Coffman, the pageant’s titleholders’ appearance director. Though some may consider pageants a superficial pastime, three students have gained meaningful experiences through pageant participation.
Encouraging body-positivity Critics argue that appearance-based ranking objectifies contestants and can cause body insecurity. In response to these critics, the Miss America Organization announced in June that the swimsuit portion of Miss America would be eliminated and replaced with a more “substantive” category. Gretchen Carlson, Chairwoman of the Miss America Board of Directors, said in an interview on Good Morning America that these modifications represent an effort to shift the focus of what contestants are judged on. Sophia was glad to find that, like Miss America, National American Miss emphasizes non-physical qualities. “I was pleasantly surprised that [National American Miss] wasn’t at all beauty-based,” Sophia says. “There were three required competitions: formal wear… a 30-second introduction… and an interview.” National American Miss also included optional contests, such as the acting and academic achievement portions that Sophia participated in. Blair graduate Moira Johnson, currently a freshman at the University of Missouri, competed in the 2017 Miss Maryland Teen USA pageant. Though Miss Maryland Teen USA takes physical appearance into account, Moira notes that the organization strongly encourages body-positivity among contestants. “They want you to actually be healthy, [whatever] that means to you,” Moira says. “If a girl is found out to have an eating disorder, she will get points taken off and… get referred to people who can help get [her] back to health.” Moira believes that this system encourages contestants to care for their bodies. Building professional skills The skills that contestants gain from competing in pageants can be helpful to them later in life. Bobbi maintains that Miss Maryland strives to improve contestants’ self-confidence. “The participants gain public speaking skills and their self-esteem gets a real boost,” she says. “It’s very uplifting.” These public speaking skills and increased self-confidence can help contestants succeed in the professional world. Junior Sky Bloomer, second runner-up in the 2018 Miss Pacific Asian American pageant, recalls that contestants were provided with workshops to hone skills necessary to find a job. “They hosted these two-day workshops where we could develop our public-speaking,” Sky says. “They’re really just trying to develop you to be able to sell yourself in a business world.” Sky believes that the workshops taught contestants how to market their best selves to judges, which can be applied to future employers. “You need to know… however it is that you’re trying to sell yourself.” Sky says. “So if you’re a proud business-woman-type person, that’s the way you’re selling yourself… but if your charm is more friendly, warm, then pose like that.” Contrary to pop culture portrayals of the contentious atmosphere among contestants, Sophia, Moira, and Sky had overwhelmingly positive experiences with their fellow contestants. Moira emphasizes that being surrounded by high-achieving young women was empowering. “It’s kind of a big party with a bunch of other girls who are driven like me,” Moira says. “We get to work hard but play hard too.” Representing a community In addition to receiving benefits from pageants, contestants also pay it forward to their communities. Though Sky, like Sophia, was at first concerned about the social stigma surrounding pageants, she ultimately decided to participate in order to represent her Cambodian roots, which are often underrepresented among Pacific Asian countries. “We want to show that Cambodia is more than just the genocide and the Khmer Rouge,” Sky says. “We have beauty, we have elegance, we’re fun, we have culture.” According to Sky, the winners of Miss Pacific Asian America go to local Asian-community events, further representing their Asian heritage. Similarly, winners of the Miss Maryland Teen USA pageant attend and draw publicity to charity events of their choosing, according to Bobbi. Moira is hopeful about progress in the pageant industry. “The people who are beginning to win are people who are telling young girls, ‘you can look however you want, [and] here’s how to take care of yourself,’” Moira says. She also notes the increase in both body and racial representation among pageant contestants. Ultimately, Moira, Sky, and Sophia hope to make a positive difference through their pageant experiences. “There's a stigma of pageant girls… defeating the purpose of progress on feminism,” Moira recognizes. “I really want to have a hand in changing that culture.”
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