Miss America is fast approaching and gets me into the pageant mood. I wonder how many of us here have won beauty pageants or know someone who has. I myself have won a few pageants as a young girl (Miss Jr. Ocean City, Miss New Jersey Star Pre-Teen) , won community service and photogenic awards for Miss New Jersey American Pre-Teen, recently won a local title (Miss Fairfax), and plan on competing in some Miss America preliminaries this year as well as in the future. I also have met/known a few of the most recent Miss New Jerseys, including the current queen, Jennifer Farrell (have spoken to her a few times, went to high school with her). Has anyone here had any similar experiences?
A girl in a class I took last year one some kind of pageant, I forget what exactly. Miss Teen Maryland or something.
My eighth-grade English teacher told the class about the time she won one of the qualifying pageants and competed in the 1969 Miss Ohio competition against Kathy Baumann, who went on to finish as first runner-up in the Miss America pageant before scoring some TV and film credits.
I went to college with the 1978 (or was it '79?) Tobacco Queen of Virginia.
I know the girl who’s currently Miss Mississippi. She was previously Jr. Miss Mississippi and came in the top ten or something at the pageant. I had to go. It was kinda weird. I knew this girl fairly well as a kid, but haven’t talked to her much in the past few years.
Does a “Win A Dream Date” contest count? I was one of the “prizes” in one of those once.
I took classes (and talked) with Miss Puerto Rico 2003 (or 2002, I don’t remember).
My mother was heavily involved in putting pageants on when I was a kid. As such, I knew pretty much every local pageant winner that came through these parts in the 70s and 80s.
They did have one girl win Miss Michigan and go on to the Miss America pageant. Didn’t do anything there, though.
From what I can tell, no matter how much it’s touted as a talent competition, it’s a beauty pageant that’s dictated by politics. My mother was told that “her girl” was going to win Miss Michigan a few days before the pageant. It’s all who you know and how well you get along.
The best part of the Miss America pageant is the parade the night before. The constestants are driven down the Atlantic City Boardwalk perched in convertibles – the crowds (and there are serious crowds) chant, “Show us your shoes!” and the ladies lift up their legs to show their shoes. Many bring special shoes just for this event.
Legend has it – and I see no reason to doubt legend – that this began with a bunch of drag queens one year, who wanted the full effect of the various outfits – some girls, it turned out, wore sneakers under their gowns for comfort. These girls would be heckled mercilessly.
I’ve been twice, though not recently. Hmmm, d’ya think it’s too late to organize a ShoeDopeFest?
I won a drag king show once. Took first runner up in another one.
http://www.geocities.com/yellowlamia/drag.html
A dear friend of mine in college was a former kiddie beauty queen, but got out of the pageant circuit around the age of 12. She’s the one who beat me out for the top prize in the drag show I took runner up in. She later said it was the only thing that could make up for her not winning Homecoming Queen in high school. 
I met a former Miss (name a state) some years ago after she had joined the Navy and become an officer. A completely insufferable Barbie Doll of a person.
I know so many of the local and state darg pageant winners that I am firmly convinced that any time two or more Wisconsin drag queens run into each other on the street one of them walks away with a tiara.
Miss Teen Connecticut this year went to my high school, but I wasn’t really friends with her. Kind of cool to see her on TV for the Miss Teen USA pageant.
I met a former Miss Jr. Atlanta (I think that’s what it was) a year ago. Really nice person.
Sure. My neighbor was the youngest Miss Nebraska ever crowned. She was bright and talented and not at all vain. Her dad is one of the associate deans at the University in our town there. She entered because the scholarship $$ was pretty decent.
She had to miss a lot of her senior year of high school to do all the appearances and such, but she didn’t have any problems. She was the youngest contestant at Miss U.S.A or Miss America (whichever one it was–the more prestigious one). We made fun of her accoutrements, but no harder than she did. I mean, a crown?!? Who wears a crown?!? But she had to at every appearance. Snort.
It was sort of cool to hear about how they manage all the details. I mean, there is a COMMITTEE of people who help them get ready for the national pageant.
The money was great for college. When an injury derailed her professional dancing ambitions, she decided to work for a cruise line for awhile while she figured out what she wanted to do a legit career. I am pretty sure the “Miss State” credential was a big plus in getting the job.
I woman, with whom I went to college, paid for most of her tuition by going to various pagents all over the state.
Boy, do I have a story to share.
Two fraternity brothers of mine were very, very good friends. Bro. A dated Bro. B’s sister (who won the Miss Virginia contest and was a really beautiful girl). Unfortunately, Bro. B and Miss VA broke up after about 10 months of dating hot and heavy. Bro. B then started dating another stunning little number who entered the Miss VA pagent and won. First girlfriend had to crown second girl friend, and managed to do so with the largest, most artificial smile on her face that I’ve ever seen. Several of us got tanked up and attended the ceremony in the hopes that these two hot numbers would get in a cat fight (or at least, First Girlfriend would stab Second Girlfriend in the scalp with the crown).