My First Pageant Experience!
7:18 pm
How in the world did I end up doing Miss IU 2017? Truth is, I have always wanted to do a pageant ever since I was a little girl but usually opted for summer training for basketball and volleyball instead. After spending months preparing for a pageant happening on campus scheduled for early February, I was sad to find out that it had unfortunately been cancelled.
With a dress already in hand as well as other components secured for a pageant, I decided to do Miss IU 2017 just two days before the deadline, which was essentially 9 days before the actual pageant. If you are thinking to yourself "that's crazy, why would she do something so last minute?", then I must inform you about my motto for 2017:
"Everything you have ever wanted is just one step outside of your comfort zone."
I spent the week googling everything I could find to make me feel a little better about going into my first pageant blind (this one was completely different from the other one I had been preparing for), and before I knew it, it was Sunday morning, the day of the pageant. The one thing that got me through the day was the constant reminder from the coordinator and my fellow pageant girls (who were all so nice) to remember to have fun.
I want to include a list of everything that went wrong on pageant day, just so you know that the struggle was real.
- Despite attempting to pin curl my hair the night before, there was not a curl in sight in the morning, just before I was meant to do my interview. My hair was essentially a big poofy ordeal that I frantically tried to tame. Despite my mini freak out, I decided to put music on and groove as I maneuvered the flat iron so that I would not think about it too much.
- I actually did not have a dress for my talent portion (featured picture) until about 30 minutes before the show (BIG shoutout to my homegirls Trina and Zea for allowing me to borrow it, and shoutout to Kaweme who drove the dress down from Indy so that I'd have something to wear). On top of that, I did not try it on until it was actually time for me to perform my song. In the end it all worked out thanks to my friends who came through for me last minute.
- Before the show I felt moved to wipe my makeup off from my previous interview and start afresh, only to find out that one of my essential make up items was finished (emphasis on my MAC concealer which I've had for over a year now, it was real). Saddened by the demise of my go to product, I had to make do with what I had.
- During dress rehearsals, the song I had planned to sing turned out to feel higher than the Himalayas and my throat was not trying to climb. In distress, I decided to sing part of the song in an octave lower than planned, without rehearsing it onstage. Special thanks to my friend Grace for giving me my confidence back when I called her!
- By this point in the day, I was just ready for the show to start, so that all of the run throughs and aching feet from rehearsing the opening number in heels would be worth it. As we were getting ready for our opening number, in which we wore jeans and our pageant t-shit, I realized that I brought the wrong pair of jeans. Now this wouldn't have bothered me so much except for the fact that they were too long and not the skinny cut that I had put in my mind that I was going to wear. I almost lost it here, but A'Niyah (now Miss Indiana University 2017 Woot-woot!!!) reassuringly let me know that everything would be fine and with that, the show began.
When it's all said and done, I am so glad that I went out of my comfort zone to do this pageant and have the experience that I was able to get in the pageant world. It was God that got me through and kept me standing despite the fear of failure (and through the pain of standing and dancing in heels for over 3 hours).
If there's any advice I would give to anyone doing a pageant or any type of performance, it would be to be yourself, be genuine, and remember to enjoy it. That's what got me through and that is how I felt most confident. One other piece of advice I'd say is to give yourself credit when it is due. Often times we make our accomplishments small, when in fact you have every right to be proud of yourself! I was not expecting to even be second runner up and was shocked at how much my family and friends were supportive of my accomplishment.
Who knows, maybe I will do another pageant in the future? Stay tuned...
If there's any advice I would give to anyone doing a pageant or any type of performance, it would be to be yourself, be genuine, and remember to enjoy it. That's what got me through and that is how I felt most confident. One other piece of advice I'd say is to give yourself credit when it is due. Often times we make our accomplishments small, when in fact you have every right to be proud of yourself! I was not expecting to even be second runner up and was shocked at how much my family and friends were supportive of my accomplishment.
Who knows, maybe I will do another pageant in the future? Stay tuned...
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| Congratulation to A'Niyah Miss Indiana University 2017! |
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| Second Runner Up and Community Service Award Winner |
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