How Being in A Beauty Pageant Positively Affects A Woman’s Confidence

A beauty contest or beauty pageant is a competition that conventionally entailed ranking of the participants based on their physical attributes. With time, however, pageants have adapted more of a holistic approach where the contestants are also evaluated based on their personality traits, intellectual capabilities, talents, and ability to answer questions asked by the judges on a wide selection of generalized subject matters.

Beauty pageants are usually multilayered, with smaller competitions feeding into the larger ones. The organizers of the pageant design the specific rules of each competition. Beauty pageants and competitions have long been a part of our culture, where thousands of women would have an experience of a lifetime. Whether these women are competing for the Miss Universe or Miss El Paso Texas America, the experience is life-changing for the contestants.

Beauty contests have always been a topic of controversy as people have varying opinions on the subject. Some view beauty pageants as demeaning as they claim that these platforms objectify women, while others believe that these opportunities make women feel more empowered and confident as they get to challenge themselves and discover their self-worth.

The significance and value of beauty pageants are highly misinterpreted by the masses. Beauty is merely one aspect of the entire life-altering journey. There are other values like an individual’s intellect and cultural values that the judges are looking out for in the competition. A lack of accurate knowledge and awareness about the subject has led to people having distorted and misinformed beliefs about beauty pageants.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways a beauty pageant/competition can elevate a woman’s confidence and inculcate a sense of empowerment.

Empowering Through Discipline

Preparing for beauty requires a high degree of perseverance and self-discipline. Participants have to divert all their focus and time into perfecting their talent and attributes, take the utmost care of their physical health and fitness, study and prepare for the interview segment of the competition, and make sure that they are stage-ready. The dedication and hard work that goes into Miss El Paso Texas America makes women feel more confident about their ability to sign up for more challenging and adventurous endeavors in life.

Teaching Perseverance with Physical Training

One of the major requirements to be a part of a beauty pageant is to attain a certain level of fitness. The tireless fitness training and discipline teaches contestants the importance of consistent and organized effort. Also, participants learn about patience and the importance of persistence. After putting in the due energy and sweat into getting in shape, women will get a greater sense of appreciation for the achieved outcome, and they can use this as a moment of strength to reflect to in the future.

Courage to Try New Things

Taking part in a beauty pageant inculcates confidence and courage in young women to try something new. First-time pageant contestants often feel nervous about being on the stage. But, a part of the competition is to overcome these fears and nerves and present your best self on the stage. In this process, the women taking part in the pageants develop a higher sense of courage and confidence. They also feel more self-assured in their abilities to take part in new adventures in the future.

Self-Discovery

Beauty pageants and competitions give women an opportunity to discover their true potential, skills, talents, interests, hidden passions, and a lot more. It gives them a chance to take a deeper look and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. It enables them to know which areas need more attention and thus can move accordingly. It helps the participants understand themselves better and learn about the different things they can and would want to do in the future. For instance, they may realize that they are cut out to be a stage performer and would want to make that a permanent part of their life.

Improved Stage Presence

For many years, women and young girls have presented themselves on the stage and displayed their talents, and answered judges’ questions. For most contestants, pageants helped them learn how to enhance their stage presence and hold the attention of the audience as well as the judges who helped them later on in their lives. A confident stage presence is an incredible attribute that can benefit women from all walks of life. So many people struggle with public speaking and have paralyzing stage fright. Pageantry trains women on how to engage with an audience and, over time gives them the strength and confidence to talk effortlessly in front of a crowd.

Confidence to Voice Opinions

Women with beauty and physical appeal are often stereotyped to be of lesser intellect. However, this couldn’t be far from the truth. While the outer appeal does play a major role in these competitions, there is a lot more to the picture. Pageants present an opportunity for women to openly express their opinions and speak up on issues that they hold close to their hearts. It also gives women a chance to voice out for certain causes they believe in. With thousands of people listening, it the perfect opening for young women to express themselves.

Positive Role Model for Community

Beauty pageants encourage attributes of leadership, strong public speaking, poise, and self-confidence in women. Being crowned a queen within a specific community enables the woman to become a role model for the young girls in the community. It will help her feel more confident about her abilities to influence people and make a positive change. Beauty pageants provide the ideal opportunity for women to step out of their comfort zones and do something that they have never done before.

Pageantry enables women to become a better version of themselves and discover their higher selves. Women learn how to develop confidence within themselves through pageant coaching. Self-acceptance is the key factor in terms of how well a contestant performs in the competition. While society has been teaching women to strive for perfection, pageantry teaches what you can gain from taking part in a competition whether you win or not. It teaches that winning depends on the judges’ subjective opinions.

Pageants provide the contestants with a clearer picture of their potential, abilities, and talents, making them feel more confident and in charge of their future decisions. Walking across the stage in front of the judges’ panel and hundreds of thousands of audience members gives women the adrenaline rush like no other. It is a life-changing opportunity that can uplift a woman’s confidence and empower her to achieve the impossible.