Nov. 28, 2020
By Caila Barreiros
Staff Writer
From about 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. for three days straight on Aug. 21-23, I was dressed to the nines in a gown and heels. Welcome to a day in the life of a pageant girl on a competition weekend! And let me tell you from personal experience, real pageants are nothing like the ones you see on TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras.” The reality TV version of any event is heavily exaggerated.
In my first “Caila’s Closet” column of this school year, I’m going to be breaking down my three P’s of pageantry (preparation, plans and performance) as well as discussing my favorite parts: the crowning and what comes next.
Preparation
When preparing for a pageant, I always start with my friends. I know so many girls who have gone to prom and have a gorgeous prom dress just sitting in their closet, so my mom and I always start by asking around to see if we could borrow a gown. Sometimes this leads us to the perfect dress, and other times we find some really pretty ones, but they don’t give me that confidence that I need while I’m on stage.
Our next stop is usually reselling websites like Poshmark. These sites are good options because a pageant circuit could include three weekends of competition before reaching the finals, and having to buy a brand new dress every time only to wear it once gets expensive. The other two outfits don’t have to be as glamorous as a gown, but since they are worn on stage, they still have to look like they’re from an exclusive, high-end boutique.
Another hard part of the preparation is making sure that what you have is unique and no one else will be wearing it. Therefore, I always bring backup outfits. If you’re walking down the hall and see another girl wearing your dress, you NEED to go change.
Plans
I go into my pageant weekend with a precise schedule, but that plan generally crumbles within ten minutes of my arrival. Nonetheless, I’m not bothered by the changes. Having a go-with-the-flow attitude is essential for success in pageants.
With my title, I can now use my platform to promote causes that are important to me like kindness, gratitude, and inner beauty.
When I get there and see all my friends and pageant managers, there’s so much excitement. Usually, Fridays consist of interviews, while Saturday is when the main event occurs. Pageants at the state level include three events: the virtual interview, beauty and fun fashion. At the national level, there are five events: the interview, patriotic, fun fashion, beauty and fitness. Between events, I still have to look presentable in case any judges see me. Then comes Sunday when we receive awards.
Performance
In my eyes, performance is the most important part of a pageant. If I’m not confident on that stage, I know the judges won’t see my confidence either. When I feel I did poorly on stage, it sets me off for my next competition. However, I have to stay focused and push myself to make up for the points I believe I lost previously. Although it’s difficult and stressful to wait for the results, I do my best and accept the outcome.
The crowning
The crowning happens during awards on Sundays. This is always the most nerve-wracking part because the winner is announced last. It was such a stressful feeling when it came down to one other girl and me waiting for first and second place at the East Coast USA Pageant at the Hilton in Parsippany on Aug. 23.
I was very nervous because I had made it so far, and I wanted to win. As the second place winner was announced, my hands were shaking. When I heard the other contestant’s name, I knew I had just become Young Miss New Jersey.
What comes next
With my title, I can now use my platform to promote causes that are important to me like kindness, gratitude, and inner beauty. I already used my title during LHS’s commemoration of veterans on Freedom Friday, celebrated on Oct. 9. I’m required to represent my state at five community service events over the course of a year, and this was the first of them.
Now that I’ve busted the “Toddlers and Tiaras” myth and explained what pageants are really like, I want to make one more thing clear: there are NO rivalries between the contestants. Do we all want to win? Absolutely! However, we still get along. In fact, I keep in touch with many of the other contestants I have met, and some of them have even become my closest friends.
That said, although pageants are glamorous, they are just as stressful and painful as any other competition. They require resilience, poise and passion. So next time you walk in heels, just remember to treat it like a talent, because it most certainly is one!
PHOTOS BY MRS. SILVELO
This is one of my favorite photoshoots from the state pageant on Aug. 22.
