What The Miss America Organization Teaches Us

What little girl has not dreamed about becoming Miss America? It is every little girls dream (and many big girls’ fantasies) and for many fortunate women, it is not only the ‘dream’, but it is the result of a lot of hard work. The Miss America Organization has been under an insane amount of scrutiny in the past few weeks, and this blog post will in no way bash the system, instead, this blog post is going to shed light on just how wonderful this system is.

Just last year, I competed in my very first Miss America Organization preliminary, and boy was it the experience of a lifetime. Even with just one foot dipped in the MAO water, I have become hooked. Leading up to my first preliminary, Miss University of Alabama, I spent countless hours watching youtube videos, practicing my walk, working out for hours every single day, routinely going over my talent song, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and researching thousands of interview questions. Thousands? Yes, thousands. On my computer drive I have a list of 3,764 interview questions that range from simple ‘about me’ ones, to ones about my platform that I’m so passionate about, to political ones that could throw off even the most prepared. This was my dream. To win a Miss America preliminary meant going on to compete at the state level, and the girl who wins the state level goes to Miss America…MISS AMERICA PEOPLE.

When the day came, I was more than ready. I had my interview at 10 am that Saturday morning and had never felt more relaxed or more comfortable in my entire life. I stood behind that mahogany podium with confident posture and eager to answer the judges questions and showcase my personality. Each question I had received, I delivered a concise answer and made sure to mention both sides if it was political or controversial. After almost 10 minutes of conversation, the male judge on the far left side asked me something I wasn’t expecting, he said, “Stephanie, I noticed that you had bangs, which I don’t see very often. Can you tell me about your hairstyle and why is it significant to you?” During this answer, I just absolutely lit up and made all of the judges laugh hysterically before the buzzer went off.

In my opinion, the interview is single handedly the most important part of a pageant competition. This is the time where you showcase how you handle high-pressure situations with poise while simultaneously letting your personality shine through even the toughest of questions. The Miss America Organization not only pushed me to practice questions day in and day out, but it also helped me develop in ways I can’t even begin to describe. When I have any sort of interview, whether it is simply for a job at Anthropologie, a position on campus or within my sorority, speaking formally with adults and (of course) pageant competition ones; I feel not even an ounce of stress of pressure because I know I can handle anything they throw at me, no matter how left field it is. I feel this confident and this prepared because of the hard work I’ve been consistently putting in throughout my journey in both National American Miss and the Miss America Organization.

This system has also introduced me to some of the most incredible, intelligent, talented and courageous women in the country. In pageants, it is so easy to compare yourself to the women around you, to compare your body to theirs in a swimsuit, your rock and roll voice to their opera, our evening gown to hers. But in this system alone, I learned to appreciate the other women’s strengths and inspire myself instead of putting myself down and wishing I could be more like them. During this competition in this system, I never compared myself once because I was too busy focusing on how great and confident I felt. MAO showcases how wonderful we are as successful and determined young women in society, and allows us to show off to the world just how impactful we are. They teach us that we are capable of anything with hard work and determination, and that we are the change we wish to see. This organization never sets women back, it only pushes them forward, and I wish the media concentrated on that aspect instead of tearing it down.

The Miss America Organization celebrates women and their desires to improve our country, make imprints and change lives. It empowers us to reach for our craziest goals and wildest dreams. It pushes us to be our best selves and drives us to make a difference everywhere we go with that 4-point crown.

Okay, okay..Soo I’ve only done one preliminary for this organization, but just that one experience has left me reeling for more and I can’t wait to fill out my paperwork for the next circuit. I hope that one day, one day very soon, I too will join the ranks of powerful women across the country and wear the traditional crown and banner, and make my own crazy dreams of standing on the Miss America stage became a reality. I have a lot to learn before then, besides…I’ve got some new interview questions up my sleeve.

#missamerica