So, I wanted to take a few minutes and get off my chest MY two cents about the situation surrounding Carrie Prejean, Miss California USA. I've been asked by several people who know I am Miss Finger Lakes and a beauty pageant participant what I think of the whole ordeal. Well, this is what I think!
First of all, I must give credit where credit is due. Carrie Prejean had more guts and more courage than anyone I personally know to stand on a stage with millions of people watching and stay true to herself and her beliefs. We can all attest to the difficulties of standing up for ourselves and being honest; it's not always easy! So, I sincerely applaud her for being so brave.
Now, onto my actual ranting. Supporters of Miss California have constantly questioned those in opposition, "Isn't she entitled to her opinion, just like you are?" Well, yes, she certainly is! She is entitled to her opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation (no pun intended), right to bear arms, etc. etc. However, the issue at hand has little to do with her constitutional rights. The problem with Carrie Prejean voicing her opinion that night is that she immediately alienated a tremendous population, particularly citizens of her own state. In voicing her opinion (to which she is completely entitled!), she put a divide between herself and the people that her opinion disagreed with. Someone who is supposed to a represenative of a body of people, be it a state or a country, who is supposed to be a role model that people look up to and want to be like should be more cautious in voicing their opinions, and choose their words more carefully. This doesn't mean she has to lie, or be fake, or be untrue to herself. For example, in response to the question "Should the rest of the states follow suit [in legalizing gay marriage]? Why or why not?":
"I think it's wonderful that we live in a nation where the states can decide which marital unions are within the bounds of the law and morality, and that's exactly what I believe the states should continue to, by using their strong virtues and beliefs as guidelines."
Ok, I just kinda threw that together quickly, but you get the point; there was definitely a better way she could have said 'I don't believe in gay marriage' without ACTUALLY saying "I don't believe in gay marriage." In short, this entire issue is not a matter of who is entitled to opinions and who isn't, it's about a young woman who was supposed to represent her entire state, in her hopes of representing the entire nation, who failed to do so by speaking as Carrie Prejean, not Miss California.
This brings me back to workshop weekend, when Leigh-Taylor (Miss New York America 2008) explained to us that being a titleholder means holding a job. Like any other job, you are a representative of the organization that has appointed you, you are an extension of everyone you work with and for. In the arena of beauty pageants, and *especially* the Miss America Organization, the body of people that you work for is the public. Everyone who will see you on TV, in newspapers, online and on the radio. Every little girl who wants to wear a crown like your crown, every parent who wants their daughter to be like you, every school teacher who wants their students to internalize the lessons you share with them. When you're a titleholder, you're a public figure. You have to present yourself as such, and sometimes you have to learn not so much to compromise your beliefs, but learn when to keep them to yourself in the interest of everyone, the people you work for. Remember, heavy is the head that wears the crown (sooo appropriate for this discussion, yes?): leaders have a great responsibility to those they lead... and yes, beauty queens, you are leaders!!
P.S. If I were to be asked the infamous Perez Hilton question, this is what I would say:
"Our Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There is certainly no state government that can overturn the very piece of legislation upon which this country was founded. I do not believe that the states in this country should rule any other way than to respect and uphold the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that all citizens are entitled to. If they are so inclined to live their life, exercise their liberty and pursue happiness with a partner of the same sex, then we as a nation are required to uphold those rights. So yes, I do believe that all states should follow suit, because every citizen of this country deserve equal treatment and representation."
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Judging the Miss Sunburst pageant
First off, although this is completely irrelevent, let me just share with y'all that I got straight A's this semester!! :) A 4.0 this semester brings my GPA up to 3.97... not too shabby I must say!! I worked really hard this semester, because last semester I got four A's and one A- so I had to raise the bar! Between working 22 hours a week, taking 15 credits and doing some volunteer work for Vera House (www.verahouse.org), not to mention all of my fabulous Miss Finger Lakes responibilities, I'd say this semester was a big success! Also, CONGRATS to everyone who graduated this year!! You should be extremely proud, a college degree is an incredible accomplishment and I can't wait for mine!
So, this morning (after being awake for 23 hours straight and getting only 3 hours of sleep...) I had the opportunity to judge the day care/school wear optional competition for the Miss Sunburst New York 2009 pageant. Mislead by the "day care" part of the title, I was walking in thinking that I'd be judging the little kids, as I mentioned in my last post. This was not the case! I was judging contestants from ages 6 months old up to 27 years old. Let me tell you... this was NOTTT essay! First of all, how could I judge the little babies?! I just wanted to give 'em all 10's because they were just SO darn cute! I also wanted to take a few home... hey, my purse was totally big enough. It was such an eye-opener, to be on that side of the judge's table and actually have to decide who was worthy of bringing home a title. I sympathize greatly for all pageant judges (especially the MAO judges... how could you decide between all of us outstanding young women!?), because for me, having the authority to help decide in making or breaking someone's pageant experience was a really big responsibility. As a contestant, I know what it's like to want something so badly and be trying your hardest to get it, and after that it's all in the judges hands. The day was really fun, though, I saw a ton of adorable little babies and some very beautiful ladies, and being able to check out a different type of pageantry than MAO was interesting and insightful.
So, this morning (after being awake for 23 hours straight and getting only 3 hours of sleep...) I had the opportunity to judge the day care/school wear optional competition for the Miss Sunburst New York 2009 pageant. Mislead by the "day care" part of the title, I was walking in thinking that I'd be judging the little kids, as I mentioned in my last post. This was not the case! I was judging contestants from ages 6 months old up to 27 years old. Let me tell you... this was NOTTT essay! First of all, how could I judge the little babies?! I just wanted to give 'em all 10's because they were just SO darn cute! I also wanted to take a few home... hey, my purse was totally big enough. It was such an eye-opener, to be on that side of the judge's table and actually have to decide who was worthy of bringing home a title. I sympathize greatly for all pageant judges (especially the MAO judges... how could you decide between all of us outstanding young women!?), because for me, having the authority to help decide in making or breaking someone's pageant experience was a really big responsibility. As a contestant, I know what it's like to want something so badly and be trying your hardest to get it, and after that it's all in the judges hands. The day was really fun, though, I saw a ton of adorable little babies and some very beautiful ladies, and being able to check out a different type of pageantry than MAO was interesting and insightful.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Corning Bachelor Auction
Oh goodness, what a night I had in the name of charity!! Last night was the Corning Bachelor Auction, where over 30 handsome bachelors offered themselves up for auction to a room full of lovely ladies in order to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network, the official national platform of the Miss America Oragnization! Well, drinks were served, door prizes were handed out and chaos ensured. Jessica, Miss Colonial Days 2008 and Katherine, Miss Teen Colonial Days 2008 and I were volunteers that evening, and our VIP table rrrrright at the front by the podium made it possible for us to catch EVERY moment, including all those moments where the bachelors took their shirts off and gave some of the ladies lap dances! That's some good clean fundraising if I've ever seen it. I even got to meet the Mayor of Corning, Tom Reed, and he is hilarious! His wife also seemed like a really genuine, down-to-earth woman. I also had the pleasure of meeting Sarah, the CMN representative. She was so sweet, and was really excited about the event and all of the revenue it would bring in for CMN.
As soon as I figure out how to really navigate blogspot, I will post some pictures from the evening here. For now, though, that's all. Everybody have a wonderful Mother's Day... I will not :-( my boyfriend just left me today to go back to his home in NYC for the summer, so I'm in my empty lil apartment all by myself, and I don't really have a mom, so, this day is kinda sucky for me! Thank god for blogspot to keep me occupied :)
As soon as I figure out how to really navigate blogspot, I will post some pictures from the evening here. For now, though, that's all. Everybody have a wonderful Mother's Day... I will not :-( my boyfriend just left me today to go back to his home in NYC for the summer, so I'm in my empty lil apartment all by myself, and I don't really have a mom, so, this day is kinda sucky for me! Thank god for blogspot to keep me occupied :)
Friday, May 8, 2009
The Duties of Miss Finger Lakes
My experiences as Miss Finger Lakes have brought me to places in this great state that I'd never been before! I got to sit in on a few local preliminaries, and it was wonderful to be in the audience and witness with my own eyes other woman doing what I did, competing for the crown and sash just like me. It elevated my respect for pageant ladies, and it was a lot of fun to watch them put everything that they are into it.
I have to say, it's so incredibly cool to be able to walk into a pageant, with a crown on your head and a sash across your chest, and be greeted by other titleholders and pageant officials as if you're good friends from way back. I'd never realized just what the MAO is all about until being crowned Miss Finger Lakes, but I'm so honored to be a part of it all. The other titleholders that I've met are beautiful, gracious women. They have absolutely blown me away with how polite, kind and personable they all are; not once have I experienced any of that catty-ness you so often hear about in pageants! I can only hope that the friendships I develop throughout this process will be long-term and as sincere as I believe they are now.
Since being crowned, I've had the opportunity to take part in a few really incredible events and experiences. I marched through downtown Syracuse for the Vera House White Ribbon Campaign, with hundreds of men wearing high heels! It was the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" march and it was a really great event. On April 15th, I marched through the SU campus with over 700 other students during the "Take Back the Night" rally, a national violence awareness movement that actually originated in London a looooong time ago. After the march, we attended a Speak Out, which designated a certain block of time for participants to share their experiences with violence. I was astonished to know that I was in the midst of so many other people who had gone through some of the same things that I have. It really reinfornces the idea that you can't judge a book by its cover. After the Speak Out, I was given the opportunity to speak about daily activism, and what I do within MAO. My invitation to everyone was to be more careful about the way they speak and the words they use, because violence starts with dehumanizing and the stripping of dignity, which can be easily done with words. Below are two Facebook messages I received the next day:
- "I just wanted to applaud you on the speech you gave tonight on activism at Syracuse University's 2009 Take Back the Night. You were right on when you talked about watching what you say because you never knows who's behind you. I've lived with that same motto for many years, and have imposed that on others. Both in college and back in high school, we encounter so many people who use "retarded" and "gay", and how much that actually does affect people. I have spoke to my friends on numerous occasions about watching what they say (some immature kids in high school thought it was humorous to tell jokes about aborted babies--and I said to them just what you told us tonight--you never know if the person behind you actually went through that, and how hard that could have been for them. And to hear you JOKE about it??) It's uncalled for, it's wrong, and it needs to stop.So thank you for spreading that message, you're doing such a wonderful job!Oh, P.S., good luck in the Miss New York Pageant, I'll definitely be cheering for you!"
-"I was at Take Back the Night tonight and really enjoyed what you had to say. It got me thinking about language, and how everyone needs to be thinking harder about their word choice. You also kind of redefined my image of pageant women, which I think is something to be proud of. It's important to have such strong women representing us, even in a field like beauty pageants. Keep speaking out about violence and telling your story, and good luck at Miss NY!"
This made my day when I logged onto Facebook and read these messages. To know that what I had to say has actually touched someone and changed their perspective on something, is exactly what I wanted to be Miss Finger Lakes for, and exactly what I want to be Miss New York for. My motivation within MAO is to promote and encourage change, which is also my motivation for having a social work major, and for wanting to be a future family lawyer.
Also, and this is my most exciting news for this post: I was invited to JUDGE one of the competitions are the Miss Sunburst NY state pageant next weekend!! It's the daycare/school wear competition for the lil youngins, and I'm so excited! Will keep y'all posted with how that goes!
I have to say, it's so incredibly cool to be able to walk into a pageant, with a crown on your head and a sash across your chest, and be greeted by other titleholders and pageant officials as if you're good friends from way back. I'd never realized just what the MAO is all about until being crowned Miss Finger Lakes, but I'm so honored to be a part of it all. The other titleholders that I've met are beautiful, gracious women. They have absolutely blown me away with how polite, kind and personable they all are; not once have I experienced any of that catty-ness you so often hear about in pageants! I can only hope that the friendships I develop throughout this process will be long-term and as sincere as I believe they are now.
Since being crowned, I've had the opportunity to take part in a few really incredible events and experiences. I marched through downtown Syracuse for the Vera House White Ribbon Campaign, with hundreds of men wearing high heels! It was the "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" march and it was a really great event. On April 15th, I marched through the SU campus with over 700 other students during the "Take Back the Night" rally, a national violence awareness movement that actually originated in London a looooong time ago. After the march, we attended a Speak Out, which designated a certain block of time for participants to share their experiences with violence. I was astonished to know that I was in the midst of so many other people who had gone through some of the same things that I have. It really reinfornces the idea that you can't judge a book by its cover. After the Speak Out, I was given the opportunity to speak about daily activism, and what I do within MAO. My invitation to everyone was to be more careful about the way they speak and the words they use, because violence starts with dehumanizing and the stripping of dignity, which can be easily done with words. Below are two Facebook messages I received the next day:
- "I just wanted to applaud you on the speech you gave tonight on activism at Syracuse University's 2009 Take Back the Night. You were right on when you talked about watching what you say because you never knows who's behind you. I've lived with that same motto for many years, and have imposed that on others. Both in college and back in high school, we encounter so many people who use "retarded" and "gay", and how much that actually does affect people. I have spoke to my friends on numerous occasions about watching what they say (some immature kids in high school thought it was humorous to tell jokes about aborted babies--and I said to them just what you told us tonight--you never know if the person behind you actually went through that, and how hard that could have been for them. And to hear you JOKE about it??) It's uncalled for, it's wrong, and it needs to stop.So thank you for spreading that message, you're doing such a wonderful job!Oh, P.S., good luck in the Miss New York Pageant, I'll definitely be cheering for you!"
-"I was at Take Back the Night tonight and really enjoyed what you had to say. It got me thinking about language, and how everyone needs to be thinking harder about their word choice. You also kind of redefined my image of pageant women, which I think is something to be proud of. It's important to have such strong women representing us, even in a field like beauty pageants. Keep speaking out about violence and telling your story, and good luck at Miss NY!"
This made my day when I logged onto Facebook and read these messages. To know that what I had to say has actually touched someone and changed their perspective on something, is exactly what I wanted to be Miss Finger Lakes for, and exactly what I want to be Miss New York for. My motivation within MAO is to promote and encourage change, which is also my motivation for having a social work major, and for wanting to be a future family lawyer.
Also, and this is my most exciting news for this post: I was invited to JUDGE one of the competitions are the Miss Sunburst NY state pageant next weekend!! It's the daycare/school wear competition for the lil youngins, and I'm so excited! Will keep y'all posted with how that goes!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Brittanee Drexel
I wanted to take a minute to post about something INCREDIBLY important, something that we all need to be aware of and internalize right away. We all need to be more aware of our safety and the safety of others, especially when travelling, because you NEVER KNOW what can happen! A girl from my hometown, Rochester, NY named Brittanee Drexel has been missing in Myrtle Beach since last week. The last time she was seen alive was Saturday evening between 8pm and 8:45pm.
Now, I'm not a reporter, so I'm not going to get into the details, name names or point fingers at anyone. This girl is in serious trouble and needs the prayers of everyone out there that she returns home safely. Various news sites, such as foxnews.com, cnn.com, and democratandchronicle.com have been following the story, so if you'd like the details then that is where I will direct you. There is also a Facebook group.
We all need to stop with the drama, the rumors and the nonsense surrounding this issue. This girl is not safe, she is not home with her family where she belongs and she needs the help of everyone who can do anything to find her. Imagine if this were your child, or sibling or cousin or best friend or someone you loved. You would not have time to worry about the gossip, you would just be busting your butt to find them. So please, if you have any involvement with this situation, leave the gossip alone and focus on finding Brittanee. If you have no idea what I'm talking about or are not involved in any way, involve yourself and send a quick prayer for her up to the Big Guy (or to whomever you pray). I don't know her, but I know that I do not want any harm to have come to her.
I encourage everyone that reads this post to talk to their loved ones about what's happened to Brittanee, and to others like Natalee Holloway. I just sat down yesterday with my 14 year old sister, 13 year old step sister, 12 year old step sister and cousin and let them know that somebody always needs to know where they are, no matter WHAT! Hopefully it will sink in with them, and they will at least call me and let me know even though I'm 2 hours away from where they live (they're half siblings, mind you; my mom was once married to their dad, and he's recently re-married, hence all the step sisters). Please, don't ignore this issue and do not for one second think it can't happen to you or someone you know. Assume it will, and talk about it.
Now, I'm not a reporter, so I'm not going to get into the details, name names or point fingers at anyone. This girl is in serious trouble and needs the prayers of everyone out there that she returns home safely. Various news sites, such as foxnews.com, cnn.com, and democratandchronicle.com have been following the story, so if you'd like the details then that is where I will direct you. There is also a Facebook group.
We all need to stop with the drama, the rumors and the nonsense surrounding this issue. This girl is not safe, she is not home with her family where she belongs and she needs the help of everyone who can do anything to find her. Imagine if this were your child, or sibling or cousin or best friend or someone you loved. You would not have time to worry about the gossip, you would just be busting your butt to find them. So please, if you have any involvement with this situation, leave the gossip alone and focus on finding Brittanee. If you have no idea what I'm talking about or are not involved in any way, involve yourself and send a quick prayer for her up to the Big Guy (or to whomever you pray). I don't know her, but I know that I do not want any harm to have come to her.
I encourage everyone that reads this post to talk to their loved ones about what's happened to Brittanee, and to others like Natalee Holloway. I just sat down yesterday with my 14 year old sister, 13 year old step sister, 12 year old step sister and cousin and let them know that somebody always needs to know where they are, no matter WHAT! Hopefully it will sink in with them, and they will at least call me and let me know even though I'm 2 hours away from where they live (they're half siblings, mind you; my mom was once married to their dad, and he's recently re-married, hence all the step sisters). Please, don't ignore this issue and do not for one second think it can't happen to you or someone you know. Assume it will, and talk about it.
My Blog!
So, after encouragment from a few reliable people, I decided to go ahead and make a blog! This is more or less a place for me to chronicle my year as Miss Finger Lakes and all that it entails. I've dont quite a few things since being crowned, so I think I'm going to have to post a reeeeally big blog one of these days and just sort of summarize all that I've been up to so far. But right now, I'm going to share what it felt like to win.
I've been doing pageants for 7 years now, since I was 14 years old. My very first pageant was the Miss Barbizon pageant (I KNOW some of you out there remember Barbizon!). I remember each time I did a new pageant, I came closer and closer to winning, but I'd never won a title. Miss Finger Lakes was my VERY first title! I'd received the Miracle Maker award, for raising the most money, and I'd received the Best Evening Wear award, which absolutely stunned me. I would have completely proud of myself had I walked off that stage with those two awards. However, when they began to call our the runners-up, my mind started to reel a little bit; could I really possibly win?? When they called my name, I totally did that whole crying, fanning my face, "ohmygodthankyousomuch" thing! I was crying because I was in shock; I couldn't believe that after seven years of trying and failing, I'd actually won! I was also crying because I didn't have anybody there to see me win :( My dad lives in a nursing home and I don't really know my mother, and my boyfriend had no ride down to Corning to watch me. There was one person, though, a student from Syracuse who was doing a multimedia project on me for one of her classes. Her name is Mahala, and she compiled this phenomenal story about me. The link is below, I hope you'll watch it and give thanks to all that you may have in your life because I certainly do!!
I couldn't believe that I was ACTUALLY being allowed into the Miss America family! I'd never really been interested in competing in a MAO preliminary, because I didn't consider myself extraoridnarily talent like most MAO contestants are. I actually had to change my talent two nights before Miss Finger Lakes! My talent was originally going to be a dance, cheerleading-slash-hip hop, because I'd been a cheerleader since I was 9 and could totally pull off a fun, entertaining dance for my talent. Two things stood in my way: 1. I got incredibly ill, swine flu-sick, for the entire month of February. I wasn't able to drag myself to the gym to work on my dance; 2. My dance was to the song "Freeze" by T-Pain and Chris Brown... now, for those that don't know (and why would you, this is my first blog...), my platform is "Fighting Back Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault." These are issues that are incredibly personal to me, as I've been a victim of both in my life. There was just NO way I could perform to a Chris Brown song! So, I switched it up at the last minute to a Shakespeare monologue, and I guess it paid off for me! I'm so glad I'm not dancing at the state pageant, either, because there are so many talented dancers competing who are actually trained in their chosen form of dance, and there's no way I could hold a candle to any of them! Singing is, of course, out of the question, unless you're looking for American Idol like Kenny said, in which case I would just be like one of those people on the first few episodes that are so horrible they get humiliated on national T.V. and sent home. My humiliation would be smaller scale, of course, but entertaining nonetheless. At any rate, monologue it is.
Well, that's about all I have for now. Expect more entires, expect me to get emotional and pour my heart out on here, expect a lot of wilf and crazy stuff from me.
Video project by Mahala Gaylord (who is AWESOME, by the way!): http://studentvoice.syr.edu/team.cfm?id=39&storyid=267
I've been doing pageants for 7 years now, since I was 14 years old. My very first pageant was the Miss Barbizon pageant (I KNOW some of you out there remember Barbizon!). I remember each time I did a new pageant, I came closer and closer to winning, but I'd never won a title. Miss Finger Lakes was my VERY first title! I'd received the Miracle Maker award, for raising the most money, and I'd received the Best Evening Wear award, which absolutely stunned me. I would have completely proud of myself had I walked off that stage with those two awards. However, when they began to call our the runners-up, my mind started to reel a little bit; could I really possibly win?? When they called my name, I totally did that whole crying, fanning my face, "ohmygodthankyousomuch" thing! I was crying because I was in shock; I couldn't believe that after seven years of trying and failing, I'd actually won! I was also crying because I didn't have anybody there to see me win :( My dad lives in a nursing home and I don't really know my mother, and my boyfriend had no ride down to Corning to watch me. There was one person, though, a student from Syracuse who was doing a multimedia project on me for one of her classes. Her name is Mahala, and she compiled this phenomenal story about me. The link is below, I hope you'll watch it and give thanks to all that you may have in your life because I certainly do!!
I couldn't believe that I was ACTUALLY being allowed into the Miss America family! I'd never really been interested in competing in a MAO preliminary, because I didn't consider myself extraoridnarily talent like most MAO contestants are. I actually had to change my talent two nights before Miss Finger Lakes! My talent was originally going to be a dance, cheerleading-slash-hip hop, because I'd been a cheerleader since I was 9 and could totally pull off a fun, entertaining dance for my talent. Two things stood in my way: 1. I got incredibly ill, swine flu-sick, for the entire month of February. I wasn't able to drag myself to the gym to work on my dance; 2. My dance was to the song "Freeze" by T-Pain and Chris Brown... now, for those that don't know (and why would you, this is my first blog...), my platform is "Fighting Back Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault." These are issues that are incredibly personal to me, as I've been a victim of both in my life. There was just NO way I could perform to a Chris Brown song! So, I switched it up at the last minute to a Shakespeare monologue, and I guess it paid off for me! I'm so glad I'm not dancing at the state pageant, either, because there are so many talented dancers competing who are actually trained in their chosen form of dance, and there's no way I could hold a candle to any of them! Singing is, of course, out of the question, unless you're looking for American Idol like Kenny said, in which case I would just be like one of those people on the first few episodes that are so horrible they get humiliated on national T.V. and sent home. My humiliation would be smaller scale, of course, but entertaining nonetheless. At any rate, monologue it is.
Well, that's about all I have for now. Expect more entires, expect me to get emotional and pour my heart out on here, expect a lot of wilf and crazy stuff from me.
Video project by Mahala Gaylord (who is AWESOME, by the way!): http://studentvoice.syr.edu/team.cfm?id=39&storyid=267
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