Beauty Pageants For Teens And Pre-teens

Beauty Pageants For Teens And Pre-teens

How can my eleven year old daughter improve on her modeling? She's been in thirteen pageants, so we need a little more pageant modeling tips.


Five things to remind pre-teen girls:

• SMILE ! A good facial expression shows personality.
• If you forget part of your routine, just keep going, nobody knows what is supposed to be happening other than you, so just keep smiling and don't get discouraged, it happens to everyone.
• Always be confident in yourself, believe that you can do it. That alone will make you shine on stage.
• Have fun; don't do a routine or a pageant that you don't like. The judges can tell if you’re bored.
• No matter what happens, remember that you are beautiful. When you enter a pageant, you're not asking if you are beautiful, you are showing people that you are.

There are specific modeling tips later in the book that you can adapt for preteen contests.


I've been doing pageants for a couple of years and if I do sportswear, I seem to win in the overall division. I do not like to dance like the little girls. My question is: How do older girls do their sportswear? (Miss division and up)

For sportswear in the older divisions try to develop a theme that is not really a dance. Instead, make up a routine with a theme that goes well with the outfit you choose.


If your daughter has braces at age thirteen, is that a problem?

It depends on which pageant you enter. Although no pageant will tell you not to enter at all if you have braces there are pageants where it will matter less than others. Most judges in the Natural pageants will look at a thirteen-year-old contestant with braces and think it is to be expected at that age and no big deal. Judges for the Glitz pageants are generally searching for a more glamorous look and could consider braces uncomplimentary.


What should I do when I feel like throwing a temper tantrum?

Don’t ! You would be surprised at how many people are watching you at all times when you are competing in a pageant – even if you are not “onstage” at the moment. You are not going to make a favorable impression if you are behaving badly. And anyway, throwing temper tantrums does not get you what you want – which is generally relief from some extreme emotion like fear, frustration or fatigue.

Here are some tips to try the next time you feel like throwing a temper
tantrum:

• Breathe. Slowly. Count to ten while you breathe. Yes, seriously.

• Distract yourself. If you are frustrated with a situation, or tired, it can help to “go away” for a minute. If you can - step into another room or at least a quieter part of the room you are in. Close your eyes and breathe. If you can not do this literally you can still do it inside your head. Picture a beach. Or a treehouse. Or a rock star. Go away from the competition for just a moment and “think lovely thoughts” as Peter Pan would
say.

• If you absolutely HAVE to shout to let it all out then do something goofy. Jump up and down in place while yelling the alphabet. Turn a cartwheel and whistle as loudly as you can. Give the person next to you a huge smooch on the cheek and scream “I LOVE THE WORLD!” It will have the same effect on you physically as screaming and crying to get the tension out. People will also probably think you are strange. But at least you won’t be throwing a temper tantrum.


Do I really have to be overly, sincerely nice to all the other girls?
I know I should be polite, but I compete for a reason and, I'm not trying to be mean, but I'm not there for the other girls involved.

Think of it as training for the future.

You sound like a young lady who has plans for moving on in the world of pageant competition. If that is so then you will eventually find yourself competing in pageants in which the winner is expected to go out into the community, or the state, or the whole country and serve as a representative of the pageant for an entire year after she is crowned. Guess what she is expected to do as representative of that pageant?

Be sincerely nice to other people.

Whether she is talking to the press, speaking at a luncheon, meeting fans for an autograph session or helping out at a local school or shelter, a beauty queen needs to be able to relate to all kinds of people – all of the time. Use situations in which you would rather not be bothered as practice time to hone your public relations skills.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be fake or work excessively hard trying to be voted “Miss Congeniality” if that is not your real personality. Be the true you – behaving like a queen.


What is the best way for my daughter to stand out for the Judges in a pre-teen pageant?

Encourage her to always speak loud enough for people to hear her when she speaks. Facial expressions are a great thing – smile! But don't force the smile, think of something that's funny, smile from your heart.

Self confidence makes a girl stand out. Generally pre-teens don’t think of making eye contact with the audience. See chapter nine for tips on how to do this successfully and help your daughter practice them.