pageant tips

No matter how beautiful your pageant dress is, or how stunning you look as you’re walking across the stage, you still have to ‘wow’ the judges with your knowledge and wit. For this reason it’s important to stay caught up with current events in the news and media. Below, we’ve listed some hot topics that the judges may have hidden up their sleeves.

1. Gay rights – This is a heated topic no matter who you ask, but since the story of the Miss Universe contestant, Jenna Talackova was booted from the contest for being a transgender, this topic has taken on a whole new controversy. Make sure you stay knowledgeable about the gay rights community, and use your best judgments.
2. Bullying – Bullying is an ongoing problem in schools and online. Whether it’s cyber bullying or a traditional form of bullying, you should be prepared to answer questions that involve this rising issue among today’s youth.
3. Shootings & Gun Laws – From the recent shooting in New Orleans to the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., be prepare to discuss gun laws and your opinions on them.

Stay tuned in to Pageant Designs blog for more current events and topics that you should keep up to date on for your pageant interview. You can find more beauty pageant tips and advice at PageantDesigns.com.

After months of training, the big day has come and gone and you were not crowned the winner of the big pageant.

Now is not the time to pout and feel bad for yourself. Cheer up! You had the courage to get up on that stage and you did your best! You may think that all is lost, but here are a few tips in dealing with losing and moving onward to future success:

• There’s only one winner. Face it; you weren’t the only one there who was disappointed at the end of the day. Get in touch with some of the other girls you competed with and see how they’re dealing with it. You might even make a few new friends!

• When life knocks you down, you’re only a failure if you stay down. Get back up and try again. Now, you have the wonderful opportunity to learn from what you did and try something different! Maybe a new pageant swimsuit is in order for next time?

• Never quit! You can only be a winner if you dust yourself off and compete again! Remember, Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first job as a television reporter and was told she was “unfit for tv”.

So you lost, big deal! There’s always going to be another pageant and another opportunity around the corner, so be prepared to face it!

Beauty pageants involve much more than donning a beauty pageant dress and practicing your stage walk. In order to be a well-rounded pageant contestant you need to be poised, active in the community, and be able to speak well in front of a large crowd. If you cringed when you read that last part you’re not alone. Many pageant contestants are nervous about public speaking. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to help ease the stress of public speaking and become better at it.

1. Practice makes perfect. Just like you practice your talent routine and walking in your pageant dress, you need to practice speaking in front of a crowd. Start by reading a book aloud to a pet or some stuffed animals, and then move on to reciting a poem or lines from your favorite movie in front on family or friends.
2. Maintain good posture. Find a natural standing position that feels comfortable and maintain the position, as well as good posture.
3. Speak clearly and loudly.
4. Pay attention to your body language. Fiddling with your hands, shuffling your feet, and different facial expressions can all reveal how confident you are speaking in front of an audience.
5. Maintain eye contact with the audience and the judges.

Most importantly, relax. It’s much easier to concentrate on what you’re saying and doing when you’re relaxed. Beauty pageants may be a competition, but they’re also about having fun. So smile, do your best, enjoy yourself and good luck from all of your friends at PageantDesigns.com!

Throughout the years we’ve come to pick up on some tips and tricks from the wonderful world of beauty pageants. There’s so much more to pageants than just standing on stage and looking pretty!

1. Be sincerely polite and nice to everyone. It’s not difficult to tell when someone isn’t being sincere. Although you’re competing against most of the girls you’ll be interacting with, it’s still important to be nice to them. Everything you do or say can get back to the judges.
2. Don’t compare yourself to the competition. If you do, you’ll either go crazy or you’ll become discouraged after picking out all of your faults. What you see as a fault others may see as strength.
3. You’re not the only nervous contestant. In fact, we guarantee that nearly every contestant is going through the same things you are and they’re all nervous too.
4. Choose a well-fitting pageant dress. We know you’ve heard it before, but appearance is a major part of a beauty pageant. Make sure you have your dress fitted so it’s sized correctly and looks perfect on you.
5. Smile. A smile is your most important accessory!

Looking for more pageant tips and tricks? Visit PageantDesigns.com to learn more about the wonderful world of beauty pageants.

One of the most important parts of a beauty pageant is the pageant interview. During your interview you’ll be able to talk one on one with the judges and voice your opinion on important topics and current events. Looking your best is one key to acing your pageant interview. Dressing well increases you confidence and elicits an encouraging response from the judges and audience. A first impression is a lasting one, and our beauty pageant experts at Pageant Designs are here to help you make the best first impression with some helpful tips.

Fit:

• Make sure your interview pageant suit fits correctly.
• It’s important to portray yourself as classy and sophisticated. The suit’s skirt should fall directly below the knee, right at the knee or slightly above the knee.

Style:

• Choose an age appropriate outfit. Teens should steer away from elaborate glamorous outfits, while younger pageant contestants should avoid looking too business-like.
• On the other hand, pageant interview suits that are bright bold colors or have too many embellishments can be a distraction for the judges and audience.

Accessories:

• Wear minimal jewelry. Elegant gold hoops or shining pearl earrings should add the perfect touch to your interview pageant suit.
• When shopping for pageant shoes look for classic pumps with a heel measuring at least two inches.

For more pageant tips and the latest beauty pageant fashions and designs visit PageantDesigns.com or call 864-263-4371 to speak with one of our knowledgeable customer service representatives.

It's brains, not just beauty.

When you watch a beauty pageant you may think that these women are judged simply on their pretty faces, pageant dresses, and poise, but in fact they’re being judge on much more. Most pageants are more than just pretty dresses and faces. Today, many beauty pageant contestants are helpful by volunteering for causes and in their communities.

Pageant contestants are active humanitarians. In fact, many contestants must “advocate a platform” and explain their favorite cause to the judges. This is taken in high consideration by the judges when it comes time to make a decision on who will win the crown. Pageants are about how the contestant can help her community or organization while remaining kind, generous, and poised.

You may think that a pageant queen’s life revolves around beauty pageants, but in most cases she competes in a pageant about every two months. Between competing in pageants the contestant is devoting many hours a week to her platform. She is an advocate for the cause and educates her community and others about what she believes in.

So, the next time you attend a pageant and you’re gasping at how gorgeous the contestant looks in her pageant dress, pay attention to what cause she is promoting, see if you’re on the same side on issues as she is, and know that she is just more than a pretty face in a beautiful gown. This beauty queen is a humanitarian and is concerned about helping others!

Not only is April Keep America Beautiful Month, but this spring time month also marks when we celebrate Earth Day. With the eco-friendly holiday right around the corner, many beauty pageant queens and contestants are looking for ways they can give back to Mother Earth. Trade in your pageant dress for some appropriate outdoor work clothes, and join in on some of these Earth friendly volunteer activities.

Group Earth Day Ideas:

• Organize a community garden in your neighborhood or a nearby community.
• Gather a group of friends and spend an afternoon picking up trash from a local park.
• Circulate a petition to ban or achieve something eco-friendly that you care about. This can be done around your neighborhood, school, etc.
• Ask your friends to gather all of their lightly used prom and beauty pageant dresses, and start a dress collection drive.

Single-person Earth Day Ideas:

• Speak to a school administration about going into the school to teach children about recycling.
• Plant a garden in your backyard.
• Stop using harmful cleaning products inside your home.
• Plant a tree in your backyard.

No matter what you do to commemorate Earth Day, just remember that every little bit matters and is a step in the right direction to improve the environment we live in.

A beauty pageant queen’s job is never done. Sometimes the only way to get through the day or a pageant is by looking back on some of the people throughout pageant history and the inspirational and funny things they’ve had to say about beauty pageants. Here are some of our favorite beauty pageant quotes and funny happenings to help you get through your next rough day.f

• “At that moment, it’s kind of like dying. You’re alone. There’s nobody that can do it for you.” – Miss America 1973, Terry Meeuwsen, on winning

• “The cardinal rule for hosting the Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants is to expect the unexpected.” – Bob Barker, host of Miss USA and Miss Universe beauty pageants

• During the 1952 Miss. America pageant, Miss. New Jersey heard her name and passed out on stage. It took pageant officials a few minutes to revive her.

• While competing in the 1963 America’s Junior Miss Pageant, Diane Sawyer walked headfirst into a metal post in front of the judges. She began giggling, and was later crowned 1963 America’s Junior Miss.

• “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” - Kahlil Gibran

• “Beauty comes in all sizes, not just size 5.” – Roseanne

• “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin.” – Gwyneth Paltrow

Next time you’re feeling stressed out from a pageant, get comfortable in your pageant dress and read one of our beauty pageant quotes or funny pageant happenings.

If you’re just starting out in the wonderful world of beauty pageants there are a few things you need to know. Whether you’re the mother of toddler pageant contestant, a teenage pageant contestant or an adult pageant contestant, you’ll benefit from knowing how to talk like a beauty pageant pro.

Here are a few more terms, in addition to last week’s, to keep you ‘in the know.’

Natural Pageants – Beauty pageants in which contestants wear a minimal amount of makeup, conservative pageant gowns and hairstyles.

Newbie – A contestant who is new to pageants.

No Compete Clause – A clause often found in National pageants, which states that a pageant queen may not compete in other pageants during her reign.

Off the Rack – An outfit that was purchased at a store and is worn without any alterations.

Optionals – Contests that girls can compete in that do not effect whether or not they win the crown.

Preliminary Pageant (Prelim) – Often, before competing in a State or National beauty pageant, contestants must compete in a preliminary pageant first.

Pro-am Modeling – A type of modeling used in glitz beauty pageants, which requires contestants to show off more than they usually would.

Red White and Blue (RWB) – Many contestants often wear patriotic colored clothing during the talent portion of a pageant.

Shells – A basic pageantry dress without embellishments.

Sponsorship Fee – The entry fee for a pageant.

Supreme – The highest winning position in a glitz beauty pageant.

Title – After winning a pageant, the contestant holds a title for winning that particular pageant.

Up Do – A hairstyle that is positioned high on the head and often used in glitz pageants.

Do you have a pageant term that you’d like us to define or explain? Let us know with a comment.

If you’re a beauty pageant newbie then there’s probably terms you’ve been hearing throughout the pageant world that don’t make sense to you. Pageant Designs is here to help you learn and understand pageantry lingo, so you’ll be better prepared for your next pageant.

Bodice – Similar to a corset, the part of a pageant dress from the waist to the shoulders.

Casual wear – Clothing that is usually worn before 5 p.m. Casual pageant wear isn’t as formal as your pageantry dress, but it shouldn’t be as informal as sweatpants.

Crowning Dress – A dress that is worn by a pageant queen returning to a pageant to crown her successor.

Cupcake Dress – A particular style of little girls pageant dresses that feature a skirt layered with ruffles and often resembles a tutu.

Etiquette – A certain type of social behavior or way to conduct yourself during a beauty pageant

Extensions – Hairpieces that are added to a contestant’s real hair in order to give it length and body.

Flippers – False teeth that are worn by young girls who’ve lost a tooth.

Glitz Pageants – Beauty pageants in which the contestants wear custom made pageant gowns that are decorated with rhinestones, sequins, etc. The girls who compete in glitz beauty pageants often wear a lot of makeup, large hairpieces and hairstyles.

Grand – A level of award in glitz beauty pageants.

H/M – A contestant’s hair and makeup artist.

What are some pageant terms that you’ve heard and need defined? Let us know with a comment, and don’t forget to check out the Pageant Designs blog next week when we’ll explain more terms that are often heard in pageants.