I DIDN’T WIN…NOW WHAT?
Pageant weekend is over. Thousands of dollars have been spent on travel and accommodations, makeup, and hair. You aced your interview and on-stage question (or so you thought), and your evening gown was amazing, but not amazing enough for the judges. You may have won a few awards, but you did not win the overall crown. What do you do?
As someone who didn’t win her first major title until the third attempt (and just lost another pageant four months ago), here’s some words of advice:
If the pageant was recorded, watch the replay, and analyze your performance. You may not have noticed that your shapewear was not appropriate for the outfit, or the total package (hair, makeup) was off. Take notes.
Review the judges’ scores and pay attention to areas of improvement.
Cry…vent if you must but do so in private. As tempting as it is to post what you think went wrong on social media, know that pageantry is a small world. If you plan to compete in future pageants, you will now be known as the contestant who was very negative on Facebook, Twitter, etc. You are now considered a liability. Don’t burn bridges…please.
Consider using a pageant coach for your next pageant. Pageant coaches have years of experience and know how different systems operate. Pageant coaches do come at a cost, however.
Don’t discontinue the sisterhood! Yes, the overall goal of pageantry is to win a crown, but the bonds formed with other like-minded women are priceless.
Just because you didn’t win, doesn’t mean opportunities won’t arise. Jennifer Hudson and Clay Aiken from American Idol are great examples of individuals who did not win their season and became more popular that the winner.
Continue to work your platform. Hopefully one of the reasons you decided to compete was to bring exposure to your platform. Your platform doesn’t end when the pageant does.
DON’T GIVE UP! Had I given up after my first pageant, or my second despite how I felt, I would have never competed in the pageant in which I won my first national title. That title let to being crowned the inaugural queen for a new pageant, and once my reign was over, became the director. You never know what lies ahead, so keep going!
I know this sounds cliché, but you are still a queen without a crown. Continue to do the work, be passionate, and get ready for the next competition. I’ll be watching!
Photo by Dellon Thomas from Pexels
