Which pageant should I choose? Which one is better? Heres my take on these questions after a consecutive seven years in the industry: #1 Decide on your OWN what YOU want to get out of being in a pageant. Meaning, know your WHY! Is it scholarship money? Opportunity to bring visibility to your cause/platform? To get prizes and cash? To become famous and make a name for yourself? Bucket list? To build, increase or obtain confidence? All these reasons are okay, its your life, your why! #2 Do your OWN research on pageants based on your answer to #1. So if you want to earn money towards college, look into Scholarship based or non-profit pageants such as Miss America or Cinderella. If you are seeking fame and glamour look into for-profit pageants such as Miss USA or glitz. If its all about your cause/platform seek out community or charity pageants. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Look at their website, talk to current and past queens. BE OBJECTIVE. No pageant even the big ones are perfect. Every year there is some angry contestant saying Miss USA was rigged or xyz pageant was a rip off. There will always be naysayers and poor losers. AGAIN, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH on the program, not necessarily base your choice on the people. #3 Make up in your mind that pageants cost MONEY! We pay thousands of dollars for college, yet there is NO guarantee you will get your six figure dream job. Matter of fact, many college grads are working minimum wage jobs right now. We have no problem investing in athletics. Theres registration fees, uniforms, $200 Jordans. If your kid is in AAU or competitive sports, cheer or dance you travel to competitions which costs thousands of dollars. Pageantry is no different. Its a personal, or recreational investment to gain whatever your answer to #1 is. Its also a BUSINESS. It takes MONEY TO PRODUCE A PAGEANT. Donald trump the BILLIONAIRE owns Miss USA, but they still charge for you to compete! The average Miss USA state preliminary costs a participant $1000-$1500, just to compete for the opportunity to hopefully win your state so you can go to Miss USA. YES IT COSTS MONEY. If cost is a concern, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and seek out smaller pageants such as a city or state local pageant, which wont require you to travel. Or a charity one-day pageant, those could be as low as $50 to participate in! Or a smaller national pageant. National pageants can range anywhere from $250-$2500, depending on the system you choose. Also, unless there is state preliminary most if not ALL national pageants require YOU to pay for your own travel and lodging. Its just what it is. Ive competed in plus size pageants, mainstream pageants, charity pageants, all inclusive pageants. I had to pay for them all! The three national ones I did cost this single mom upwards of $2k-$3K Each time! And I went to one of them THREE TIMES before winning. I fundraised, saved money, used tax refunds. It was my choice to invest because I stood firm behind my WHY! #4 Choose a pageant based on your #1 not based on anyone involved. So do not enter or not enter a pageant because its directed by so-and-SO. Do it because you did your research, its mission lines up with your #1 and the price is right for you! Ill admit, I entered Miss Plus America back in 2007 because of Chenese Lewis , but the two years after that were for my own reasons. #5 When it comes to plus size pageants, its not about whos better, seriously. Do steps 1-4 and choose. That simple. My pageant isnt for every plus size woman in America, and thats okay. I refer people all the time! I love what this industry can do for women and what its done for me. Thats why Im in it. I sure as heck do not profit financially from running a pageant. At least not yet. I know this is long, but if you.havent picked up on the theme: Know YOUR Why Do YOUR research Decide your Budget Choose! -Latasha Current Creator/CEO of Miss Plus USofA 2013 Ms. Todays American Woman 2011 Ms. Queens for a Cure 2010 Miss Plus America 2007-2010 Miss Washington Plus America
Posted on: Tue, 04 Nov 2014 17:17:35 +0000
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