Sunday, September 13, 2009

I'm a closet beauty queen

I have always loved all things beauty pageant. I remember as a kid being allowed to stay up for the Miss America pageant. I almost always fell asleep before the end, but if I could have stayed awake, I had permission. 10:30 was late for me then...really, not that much has changed...hmmm.

Anyway, the girls were pretty, the dresses amazing, the talent-well some were really talented and the others tried hard. I could imagine being just like them. I have owned tiaras and boas. Except I am not, nor have I ever really been a girlie girl. But just like my barbies, it was nice to dream.

These days I'm drawn to shows like Toddlers & Tiaras. But for very different reasons. It's like a train wreck in tiaras. Are these really the kind of lives my remembered Miss Americas must have had? Oh gee...that really scares me. I know it's all for the kids and they LOVE doing it ***cough,gag,cough***. Really? How do they know?

I am amazed at the primping, pushing, training, sculpting, and the money that goes into these children's pageants. Do these kids have any idea of the world outside of manis & pedis? Is their $3500 dress...(sorry, I didn't spend that on my wedding dress...wait, I didn't spend that on my WHOLE wedding)...necessary?

I have 2 daughters, we've watched pageants. It never occurred to me to begin this process in their lives. I hope the parents of these little girls and boys remember that childhood is fleeting. It lasts only a short time and there is so much for these little souls to absorb before they are grown. I hope this is not all there is to what they are passing on to their kids. I hope the TV representation of these homes, parents, & kids has been edited for good TV, I get that, I've done interviews. They take 30 minutes of video and cut the 30 seconds they want to use and it says what they want it to say. Some of the facts however, are just the facts.

Here was the quote of the week for me. Coach to contestant..."Honey, you just can't get 10 pounds of sugar in a 5 pound bag." Well, coach, you can, but it's not pretty.

So here's to all the contestants, we love to watch, we cheer with you and cry with you. When the day is over, go play!!

peace.

1 comment:

Jennifer Chronicles (jenx67.com) said...

i really look forward to your posts. you always have something interesting and thoughtful to say. like you, i really liked watching beauty pageants growing up. i wonder when i started hating them. when we're not looking we ourselves grow up. i still kind of like them, until carrie prejean ruined me on them. what a creep. i'm digressing. the kiddie pageants-weirdness. but, i'm drawn to the show, too. just something so wild about it.

the other day on twitter i saw an RT from the mrsoklahoma pageant. so i started following them and visited their site. no joke, gc, they state on their site "no talent, swimsuit or experience required." i bet i could win that.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! wanna sign up with me?