Pageant Directors: Host a Pageant Party!

As you know from my other blog posts, I have several grandkids, a niece, and a nephew who are or have been pageant queens or kings. They've been involved with a few beauty pageants that involved appearances and get-togethers. Some of these were for the winners only, while a couple of others had parties for all the contestants before the actual pageant - like the day or the weekend before.

I think this is a great idea! It encourages camaraderie among the contestants and among the parents. It gives the contestants a chance to get to know the director, and the director to get to know her contestants or her kings/queens. It also makes everyone feel more at ease, and in the case of a pre-pageant get-together for everyone, the contestants won't be nearly as nervous on stage. This is especially true with younger kids who might be entering their first child pageant or toddler pageant.

This doesn't have to be a fancy affair. In fact, laid back and casual is better! A cookout is a great idea. Find some great BBQ cooking recipes, and have an outdoor event. If the weather isn't suitable for cooking and dining outdoors, have a sit-down meal with some tasty Southern food. If you don't want to do all the work yourself, have each contestant's parent bring a dish for a pot luck supper.

Southern food is, well, uniquely "Southern," just like the glitz pageants phenomenon is. Sure, the rest of the nation might have a few glitz pageants here and there, but it's not ingrained into the culture the way it is in the South.

Believe me, when pageant directors "go the extra mile" for their contestants, the contestants and parents appreciate it and remember it. They'll be much more likely to enter one of your pageants again, and they'll be certain to spread the word, too!

Pageant Stage Walk with a Toddler

When you enter a toddler pageant with your child, you might want to do the stage walk with your child, especially if she's under three years old. Keep in mind however, that some toddlers cna do the pageant walk all by themselves, and such kids will often score higher than one who was escorted on stage by a parent or other adult. Of course, judges don't expect young toddlers to go on stage by themselves. In this case, judges of toddler pageants won't deduct points for parent participation.

You might choose to walk with your toddler and hold her hand, or you might prefer to walk slightly behind the child. Do this only if she's old enough to understand to stop on the Xs. It's a BIG must for her to stop in front of the judges and remain there long enough for them to get a good look at her. She'll also need to turn on the Xs - with or without your help.

There's another important point you need to understand. Don't let your toddler "run wild" on stage. Some parents think this is cute, so they allow or even encourage this type of behavior. There should, however, be some sort of order to the pageant walk, even in toddler pageants. It's difficult for the judges to focus on a constantly moving target.

Another mistake some parents make in toddler pageants during the pageant walk is to allow their kids to remain on stage too long. Not only is this disrespectful to the other contestants and the pageant director, but it's not popular with judges, either. Each contestant is allotted a certain amount of time for their stage walk, in order to make the pageant fair and to ensure that the toddler pageant runs smoothly and on time. When you use more than your apportioned time with your beauty walk, you're cutting into someone else's time. A lot of judges will deduct points for contestants who remain on stage for too long.

Toddler Pageants for Little Boys?

What do you think about entering boys into toddler pageants? Sometimes there's a stigma attached to this practice, which I think is totally unfair. Two of my grandsons were in toddler pageants when they were younger, and they loved it. Much of the resistance to putting little boys in pageants seems to come from the fathers. They're afraid the boys will become or be viewed as "sissies" for being in a "beauty"

pageant.

Natural beauty is not restricted to females. Many little boys are beautiful, too. And besides, as you've probably already figured out, toddler beauty pageants aren't all about looks. Personality and stage presence play a big part.

Why do I think the "sissy stigma" is unfair? Well, I largely base this on my grandsons. Both are 100% boy. They love fishing, camping, playing sports, and target shooting. They're both rough-and-tumble kids who aren't afraid of anything. Just because they put on a tux and enjoy the limelight on stage doesn't make any less male.

Actually, it's a heck of a lot easier to put a boy in toddler pageants than it is a little girl. Boys don't have to have makeup, pageant hair, jewelry, or a fancy dress. We never had to tan the boys for toddler beauty pageants, either.

In toddler pageants, boys aren't expected to be "prissy." They can easily get away with acting tough and/or cocky on stage, and the judges will usually eat it up.