Focus on the Pageant’s Image and Style

Understand the Style or Image of the Pageant You Enter

Pageants are not all the same. Each pageant has its own distinct look. To win, a contestant has to achieve a balance, both being herself and conveying the image of the title she hopes to win. “Know the system.

There is definitely an ‘image’ for each pageant,” explains Kathleen Munson, a pageant consultant and former head of the Midwest Judges Certification Program. “There is a difference between the Miss America system and the Miss USA system, and with the teen pageants and Mrs. pageants. For instance, there is a much greater emphasis on glamour and drama in the Miss USA look, and Miss Teen USA follows Miss USA. Mrs. America is a ‘Miss USA look,’ and Mrs. USI (United States International) is a ‘Miss America look.’ They each have a definite ‘look.”’

Understanding the pageant’s image will help a contestant craft her most suitable look for competition. “The first thing you have to do is know what you are looking for,” advises David Bartley, an image specialist. “When I am [preparing] a girl for Miss America, I am basically going for a television anchorwoman look: stylish, fresh, classic-a woman who looks like she is going places. When I am working with a girl for Miss USA, they are more fashion-forward, more glamorous in the traditional sense. It’s more of a model’s look. Different pageants have different looks.”

Tailor Your Image to the Image of the Pageant You Enter

Once the contestant understands the general image of the pageant she is entering, she should tailor her hairstyle and wardrobing to 1) look her best and 2) convey the image of that pageant. Miss USA is sexy, busty, and glamorous, so a young woman who hopes to win that title should create her sexiest, most glamorous look. Scholarship pageants want a classic, wholesome titleholder so a contestant should go with her most wholesome, classically elegant look. In each case, the young woman remains herself, but presents herself with the ‘look’ appropriate for that pageant.

It’s a little like an actress auditioning for different film roles. A contestant is auditioning for a specific role. Understand the overall image of the pageant you’re entering and create your own winning look within that general image:

  • Miss America: Classic beauty, intelligent, stage talent, great public speaker, civic volunteer, elegant evening-gown look, usually shoulder-length or upswept hair, wholesome figure (5′3″ to 5′11″).
  • Miss America’s Outstanding Teen: wholesome all-American look, intelligent, stage talent, great public speaker, civic volunteer, elegant but wholesome formal wear look, usually shoulder-length hair, (5′3″ to 5′11″).
  • Miss USA: Gorgeous face, vivacious personality, good conversationalist, glamorous evening gown look, long or upswept hair, sexy, usually busty, leggy figure (5′6″ to 6′0″).
  • Miss Universe: Multi-ethnic look, classically beautiful face, often regal, poised speaker, hair down over shoulders or upswept, pretty but non-voluptuous figure (5′2″ to 5′11″).
  • Miss Teen USA: Youthfully pretty look; not as overtly sexy as big sister Miss USA, great smile; friendly personality, sense of humor; glamorous, but simpler evening gown look; well-toned figure (5′3″ to 5′10″).
  • Miss Teen Of America: Wholesome girl-next-door image; intelligent; pretty; good student; well spoken; good role model; community volunteer; holds lofty career goals; simple; pretty evening gown look.
  • Miss T.E.E.N.: Very similar to the above wholesome teen titles, but sli8htly more glamorous; a “teenage Miss America” look.

Leanza Cornett, Miss America 1993, is an example of a titleholder who understands how to adjust her image to fit the situation. When I judged Leanza at the national pageant, she presented herself with a perfect Miss America image. Her clothing was feminine and conservative and she wore her hair elegantly upswept in classically feminine style. But after she won, I watched Leanza experiment with other images. When we appeared together on The Joan Rivers Show, she exuded a sporty image with a trendy navy pantsuit dotted with nautical medals and her hair worn in a short, casual fringed style. A month later, when she appeared on the cover of Atlantic City magazine under the headline “Miss America Gets Serious,” she had switched to a conservative image with a pinstriped business suit and blunt-cut hairstyle. Each look was Leanza, but a side of her appropriate for that situation.

Frankly, she wouldn’t have won if she’d used either of those looks at the pageant, but wisely, she cultivated and projected the look she needed to win the that specific title. Leanza understood the art of projecting the image of the pageant she hoped to win, while remaining herself. That’s the secret. Don’t change yourself. Use suitable hairstyles, makeup, and clothing to subtly reflect the pageant’s image.

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