Alright, so I had a conversation with a friend, who does pageants, and she told me that she really likes this blog. Then she went on to basically show me how much of an opportunity this site is, so I decided, I should work on this, because it’s fun, and I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, so thank all of you (also, the fact that Ms. America 2008 is following this blog is rather coercing)
Alright, I need a new topic. Oh, on a side note, the content of the blog may take a semi-drastic turn. It will definitely continue it’s posts about how to deal with pageant girls and the organization as a whole – in a very manly way -, but it will now also address big topics in the pageant society, providing a 3rd perspective on any given situation (Academia here I come!).
Topic: What is the pageant all about?
Alright, this is kind of a big topic to try to tackle, so I may end up doing it in multiple parts. Anyway, a lot of people will be like “Oh pageants, it’s just about looking pretty and it’s all superficial and silly”. However! What people tend to forget about (as long as they’re not directly in the pageant world) are the PLATFORMS. Every girl who participates in the pageant (at least on the Ms. level) has a platform. The Ms. America FAQ page writes that “In 1989, the Miss America Organization founded the platform concept, which requires each contestant to choose an issue about which she cares deeply and that is of relevance to our country. Once chosen, Miss America and the state titleholders use their stature to address community service organizations, business and civic leaders, the media and others about their platform issues. Since 1989, Miss America titleholders have appeared at thousands of public speaking engagements and charitable events to generate awareness for a variety of causes, including homelessness, HIV/AIDS prevention, domestic violence, diabetes awareness, character education, literacy, etc.” (Miss America.org) Now, heres where the guy part falls in, because I don’t really know what exactly a platform is. I know it’s basically a cause / organization they work with and also what they would work on should they win a Ms. State or Ms. America title, for example “Advocating for women and youth in politics” or “The White House Project” or “Spreading Twinkies world-wide” – all manner of things. The platform is the real motivation behind the pageant, and it’s what a lot of the competition is now based around (Interview, on-stage question, yadda yadda yadda). SO! In conclusion (because my attention span is less than that of a fly) I’m going to try to revive this blog, and the platform is really important.
Keep publishing! There are hundreds, if not thousands, of us pageant boyfriends out there and we could use the outlet.