How to Win a Beauty Pageant

Beauty pageants have come a long way and while some may not take them seriously, winning this type of competition takes a lot of talent, poise, grace, and confidence. If you feel you have what it takes to capture the crown, you'll want to keep reading.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Confidence
• Poise
• Intelligence
• Great Physique
• Be Articulate
• Be Personable
• Have a Killer Competition Wardrobe

1. While not all beauty pageants are the same, the most common areas of competition are: Evening Gown, Swimwear, and the Interview. Once you get accepted to compete in a pageant, it is essential that you start planning, preparing, and practicing months ahead.

2. 

   Once you know what outfits are needed for competition, start shopping. The Internet will be your best bet for quickly finding an evening gown, swimsuit, and interview outfit. You can easily find these items without spending a small fortune, unless you choose to.

3. 

   Finding the right evening gown is a must. Regardless of your budget, make sure your evening gown is elegant, full length (no short evening gowns...ever!), fashionable, and fits you perfectly. Also choose a color that complements your skin tone and avoid styles that show too much skin. This can cost you points in the competition. There is a way to be sexy and elegant at the same time. I chose an evening gown with an open back and a sexy side slit.

4. 

   Don't just use any swimsuit to compete in. It is advisable to wear a solid color swimsuit for pageant competition so avoid any busy patterns. Also stay away from logos and brand names. Bright, neon colors will make you stand out. Also be mindful of styles. No thongs or see through fabrics, please! Luckily, I own a ton of bathing suits so I chose a lime green two piece that flattered my figure. Remember to use bra inserts or push up pads in your swimsuit top if you don't have a large chest.

5. The interview is the most important part of a beauty pageant competition because this is the time where the focus will be solely on you. Most interviews take place with the judges sitting on a panel and you standing or sitting in front of them. Start practicing your interview skills beforehand by having a friend or family member ask you various questions. Come up with answers that don't sound rehearsed or fake. Be honest and articulate. Don't talk too much and keep your answers straight to the point. Also plan your interview outfit accordingly. Most pageants require business attire but other pageants are allowing contestants to wear what they want in order to showcase their personality. However, stay away from being too casual. No jeans! Think of it as going to a job interview. Winning a pageant means you will take on an important position with its own duties and requirements so approach your pageant interview the same way you would a regular job interview. Avoid skirts that are too short as well as showing too much cleavage.

6. Not all pageants have talent competitions so if you don't have a particular talent, be sure to choose a pageant with no talent portion. However, if you do have a talent, make sure it is something memorable and a performance you can execute perfectly on stage.

7. 
   Former Miss Venezuela teaches us how to walk.

   Be strong in your walk on stage. This is your time to shine so make sure you own the stage and the runway. Walking in a swimsuit is different than walking in an evening gown so be aware of that. During the swimsuit competition, you can have a bit more attitude and sass...have fun with your walk and smile freely and genuinely. Show the judges you are enjoying yourself. The pace for the swimsuit walk is a bit faster and be sure to find the tempo of whatever song you are walking to. It looks better when a girl is able to walk on beat. Evening gown is much slower so take your time while walking during this part of the competition but don't take too long. Your turns should be slow and smooth. You want to "glide" in your dress so practice walking without bouncing too much. You want to appear regal so stick your chest out, put your shoulders back squarely, and use your hips to give you a long, smooth stride while walking.

8. 
   I made sure to smile and look at the judges.

   Make eye contact with your judges! While it is exciting to see your friends and family in the audience, it isn't up to them to crown you. Take time during each part of the competition on stage to look at each of your judges in the eye. Don't stare them down, though! Spend a few seconds looking at each one and turn your head naturally as you move from one to the next. Smile at them and show them that you are deserving of the crown. Take a moment to look and acknowledge your judges while you are walking as well as when you are posing on stage.

9. 
   Example of simple hair and makeup.

   Let your hair and makeup work for you and not against you. Learn how to apply makeup for the stage...this works differently than wearing regular daytime makeup. False lashes on stage will make your eyes stand out and you may need to apply more color than usual so that it is visible from the audience. Choose colors that complement your skin tone and bring out your best features. Avoid using crazy makeup colors, since this can be distracting. Times have changed in the pageant world so avoid the overdone, poofy hairstyle, filled with AquaNet. Keep your styles simple and low maintenance. There isn't a lot of time in between changes. I wore my hair down and curled for the swimsuit portion and then pulled it into a ponytail for evening gown. Many pageant winners have the simplest hairstyles so don't feel the need to go overboard. If you plan on having more than one hairstyle, make sure you are still recognizable. There are many contestants in a pageant and the last thing you want is to make it difficult for a judge to recognize you. Stick to no more than 2 different hairstyles.

10. 
    Excitement while waiting off stage.

    Have fun and don't be shy! Pageant winners are known for commanding a crowd and drawing attention to themselves without a lot of effort. You want to have great presence on stage that shows your confidence. Stand up straight, hold your head up high and smile! This is body language that conveys a winning attitude.

11. 
    Me & Miss USA 2008 Krystle Stewart.

    Regardless of whether you win or not, you'll definitely make new friends and you never know who you'll meet. Celebrities attend pageants and are often chosen as judges. There are also plenty of casting people searching for new talent and many recruit those that are non-finalists. So being in a pageant can give you great exposure and lead to bigger and better opportunities. I networked with the casting exec from E! Entertainment as well as Disney so just being a part of the pageant is definitely worth it!

Tips & Warnings

• While all of the contestants are in a pageant for the same thing, that doesn't mean that you can't make new friends and actually get along.
• Don't worry about what everyone else is doing. Focus on you and why you feel you deserve to win.
• Only pack what you need for each outfit so that your stress level is low. The less you have to stress about, the more you'll be able to focus on the pageant.
• Be a good sport. Even if you don't win, put on a smile while on stage. Throwing a tantrum, pouting, or crying on stage can make you look bad so hold your emotions in until the pageant is over and then express yourself in the privacy of your home or hotel room.
• You don't have to win in order to benefit from a pageant. Many pageants invite the media to the event and chances are there will be casting people present, all looking for new talent for their projects. A majority of casting directors pick girls that didn't win or even place in the top 10. So be on top of your game at all times...you may catch the eye of someone important.
• Avoid being catty and gossiping about others. This makes you look bad and chances are such behavior will be noticeable by others like the pageant staff.
• Don't do anything new or different in your skin care or with your hair/makeup prior to the pageant. Stick to the routine that has worked best for you in the past to avoid negative reactions or a bad result that will take more work to remedy before the pageant.

[chenderson00]

on 12/5/2008 Great tips! I'm not a beauty queen but I like to act like one :) lol