Of Pageants and Pumpkin Spice

     Next Sunday, I will be taking part in an area pageant.  If you don't what that is, it's a beauty pageant.  But to me, it's not just about beauty.
     This competition is not just one of airheads and blondes, it's girls who have to think on their feet, be eloquent speakers, and understand the value of communication.  Pageants are often looked down upon, but in some ways, they're just like a job interview.
     In an interview, one tries to impress his potential future employer.  The interviewee must carry themselves well and answer questions with tact and intelligence.  It's the same with this pageant, except, along with an interview, you must answer two pop questions in front of an entire audience!
     A lot of us have probably seen the clips of the women who make epic blunders in answering a pageant question, but do we realize how much time and effort they have put in to knowing the answers?  A person can't know everything, unfortunately.  We have to be understanding of other's mistakes, no matter how comical.

We can all laugh at this though, right?  

     A common misconception is that you are just judged on beauty.  Not at all true.  The most beautiful girl could completely bomb her interview and not even make it on the court (queen, 1st runner up, 2nd runner up).
     I guess all of this is to say that anything could happen.  Pageant girls aren't stupid, they know their stuff, and they don't have to be fake to win.  Just because some people are doesn't mean that the entire entity needs to get a bad wrap.  I'm sick of hearing, "We're just not pageant people."  What's that supposed to mean, that these "pageant people" are some sort of abominable creatures with fake eyelashes, six-inch heels, and mascara running down their faces?
     Pageants can be a great thing.  They can boost self-confidence and improve public speaking and the way that girls handle and represent themselves for the rest of their life. It all depends on the way that you look at it and the way you respond.
     I say, just give pageants a chance.  It's not every day that a girl gets to feel like a princess or queen.  One thing that I can attest to is that I just felt so special for winning (I got 1st runner up the other time that I did it).  It's a feeling that cannot be manufactured, it's genuine.
     I know that this was a mix of rambling and ranting and that you may be asleep by now, but I just felt like writing about it since it was what I was thinking.
      By the way, have you been as into pumpkin spice as I have?  I didn't like pumpkin before this year, but now I'm obsessed!  Typical white girl I guess...;)