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How to Win Pageants: Questions

What You're Asking

1. Can I win with short hair?
2. Can you model if you are not pretty?
3. I wear glasses.  Will that lower my chances of winning?
4. How do I get started in pageants?
5. Can people win who aren't beautiful, but are cute?
6. Do you have to be super skinny to win a pageant?

Can I win with short hair?

This is something of an odd question, but is it possible for a woman with short hair (think Audrey Hepburn) to compete with the girls who have long silky hair and impossible updos?  I have full lips and a small mouth, big eyes, and a tiny nose, and my features are dwarfed by long hair.  However, I know that long hair is considered "much sexier" and that short hair is considered tomboyish.  I don't want to have to grow my hair out, and I feel confident with short hair, but I'm afraid that the judges won't look past the fact that my hair isn't past my shoulders.    - S.B., Utah

Answer:

Although traditionally, national titleholders have worn their hair jaw-length or longer, judges do award major titles to young women with short hair.   Miss America 2000, Heather Renee French, is an excellent example of a contestant whose shorter hair style helped her to stand out from the crowd.  Another example is Terri Utley, Miss USA 1982, who wore her hair in an extremely short, almost boyish, "pixie."

In today's environment, in which officials emphasize the importance of individuality, any hair style that reflects a young woman's uniqueness can be an asset.  Wear the hair style that is most flattering to you and reflects your personality.  However, keep in mind that pageant competition is an interview for a well paid position.  As such, select a hair style that also conveys a suitably professional, but youthful, image.

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Can you model if you are not pretty?

"What if you aren't very pretty but modeling has and always will be your dream?"  - T.C., Arizona

Answer

As with most occupations, modeling had specific market niches.  Not every model can - or needs to - look like Cindy Crawford. 

     Depending upon a young woman's physical characteristics, there are a number of potential modeling markets.  Tall, lanky models are ideally suited to work on European runways.  Models with athletically sexy builds are well-suited for work as calendar/swimsuit/lingerie models.   Other modeling markets - although often smaller - include plus-size models, ethnic models, and mature models.  An increasing number of companies now make an effort to include physically challenged models in their catalogs to better reflect the diversity of their potential customer base. Other catalog companies, like L.L. Bean, have mainstream customer bases that respond favorably to less glamorous models people can relate to.  

       Some print advertising models succeed because their average features allow them to realistically portray students, mothers, working women, and the like.  While breaking into modeling and finding work in smaller modeling niches can be difficult, young women who aspire to modeling careers should focus on specialized markets in which their physical characteristics are an asset, not a liability.  

     As final points, consider the cases of Cindy Crawford and Lauren Hutton.  Crawford had initially been advised to have her now-famous facial mole removed.  Hutton, the gap-toothed supermodel of the 1970s, had been told that she would need to cap the large space between her front teeth to succeed in modeling.  Lauren refused and became a enormously successful, gap-toothed, supermodel (although, for some magazine cover shoots she did wear a temporary cap to conceal the space.). 

     The bottom line is, it can be difficult to distinguish between those characteristics that can prevent a young model from developing a successful career and those features that may set her apart as the next Crawford or Hutton.  Our advice is to consult a qualified modeling agency for professional guidance on career development - but also to look for ways in which your individuality can be an asset.

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I wear glasses.  Will that lower my chances of winning?

"I wear glasses...They are not ugly or big, they are quite fashionable. I was wondering if I wore my glasses while competing in a beauty contest if they (the glasses) would lower my chances of winning?  -L..S., Texas

Answer

Pageants are increasingly emphasizing the individuality of participants, so, theoretically, anything is possible.  Still, we cannot site a case of a woman winning a major pageant while wearing glasses. 

As an aside, we'll share an amusing spectacle story: Sharon Kay Ritchie, Miss America 1956, told us that when she competed as Miss Colorado in the Miss America Pageant, was so nearsighted that she was concerned she might fall off the runway. Her solution:  She wore hard glass contacts that covered the entire eyeball!  Thankfully, today's participants needn't resort to such tortuous methods. 

     Although we personally would love to see a woman wearing glasses win a major title, not all judges are as open-minded. From social science research, we do know that glasses tend to alter how people perceive an individual. Women who wear glasses are often seen as more serious and intellectual and less open and friendly.  Since those impressions may be entirely off-base, wearing glasses could cause judges to "misread" a contestant's personality in competition. By entering a pageant and wearing glasses, you will be able to observe how judges react.  You may be pleasantly surprised to find a positive reaction.   Then again, their reaction may not be so supportive.  Since every judge is an individual and every panel is different, there is no way to predict a panel's response.

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"How do I get started in pageants?" 

"I would like to know how you get started in pageants. I am just starting to get interested in pageants and I think they are wonderful for teens. I think I could do well in national pageants and want to someday become Miss America. I just want to know how to get started." - S.F., Florida

Answer:

We recommend the book, "101 Secrets to Winning Beauty Pageants" by Ann-Marie Bivans (Citadel Press, $12.95, Introduction by Carolyn Sapp, Miss America 1992).  The book covers every aspect of competition, from how to find appropriate pageants to enter, to how to prepare for every category of competition, to how to handle mistakes. This excellent guidebook is a favorite of successful contestants and is available in boom stores nationwide. Also available online: Amazon.com

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"Can people win who aren't beautiful, but are just cute?"   J.J., Texas

Answer

Absolutely, but it depends on the type of pageant.  A "cute" young woman can certainly win pageants, but it may be easier for her to compete successfully in scholarship, recognition, or talent pageants that judge many non-physical qualities.  True "beauty pageants" such as Miss USA that emphasize physical beauty might be more difficult for a cute contestant to win. Even so, a young woman who lacks classical beauty, but packages her own uniqueness in an appealing way can be more successful in competition that the traditionally beautiful candidates.

Miss Teen USA 1999, Ashley Coleman, is a great example.   While Ashley is not classically beautiful, she is adorable!  Rather than trying to change her own personal style to fit preconceived ideas about what succeeds in pageants, she presented herself as a unique teen and played up her own personal style.   Judges loved her confidence and individuality and awarded her the coveted Miss Teen USA title. 

Other examples of "cute" winners include Miss America 2000, Heather Renee French; Susan Perkins, Miss America 1978; Susan Powell, Miss America 1981, and Shawntel Smith, Miss America 1996.  So, for those of you who are "cute," our advice is - be yourself, be your best self, and go for the title!

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"Do you have to be super skinny to win a pageant?" - J.D., Texas

You bring up an important point.  Like many observers, we have been concerned about the trend toward pageant winners being exceptionally thin.  

We oppose pageantry encouraging contestants to conform to unrealistically thin stereotypes.  The physical development that occurs from junior high though college is a crucial stage for building stores of  bone calcium for adulthood. If girls restrict their dietary intake for a prolonged period of time to achieve and maintain a low level of body fat for comeptition, the calcium stores needed for a lifetime of healthy bones may be jeopardized.  Some nutritionists have expressed concern that dieting at this stage could place young women at risk of early onset osteoporosis.

While there are well qualified physical trainers and nutritionists available to contestants who can afford that option, many most teens and college women cannot afford private nutritional coaching.  Therefore, given   potential health complications from adolescent dieting, we encourage pageant organizers to encourage contestants to strive for a healthier standard of physical beauty and instruct judges to reward participants who demonstrate physical fitness and beauty without resorting to excessive thinness. 

To contestants who ask, "Do you have to be super skinny to win?" we reply that, whether or not that is the trend, in our opinion, the risk of potential health problems due to prolonged dieting is simply too high a price to pay.  

We'd also like to point out that many women have won major titles without being exceptionally thin.  Miss Americas: Phyllis George ('71), Shirley Cothran ('75), Tawny Godin ('76), Susan Perkins ('78), Gretchen Carlson ('89), Debbye Turner ('90), Marjorie Vincent ('91), and Carolyn Sapp ('92), were all of normal weight for women their age. Several of these women had larger bone frames and "husky" thighs.  Kenya Moore is a recent Miss USA who thighs some people viewed as surprisingly large for a "beauty queen." So, while it may be common to see very thin women win, many judges support contestants who project physical fitness and health without resorting to excessive thinness.

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