Pointless Pageants?

What on earth is the point of a beauty pageant? A bunch of women get together, spend tons of money just to take part in the pageant (not to mention wardrobe), and then parade around in front of judges trying to convince these judges that they deserve a crown based on the way they look. Sounds a little crazy. I can certainly see why some people think pageants are ridiculous.

Women are born with a desire to feel beautiful. Some women compete because they feel winning a beauty pageant will prove to themselves or to others that they are in fact, beautiful. Some compete because just participating builds up their self esteem.

Let me tell you why I compete. I do not need a crown or title to tell me I am beautiful. I know my heart is beautiful because I know my creator. I know He knit me together in my mother's womb and I am fearfully and wonderfully made. In short, I compete because there are millions of other women who need to know what true beauty is. The competition for me is simply a platform. I am competing for Mrs. Missouri this year in May. Winning the title of Mrs. Missouri is a long shot, but should I be so fortunate to win I will have the once in a lifetime chance to travel all over Missouri speaking to young girls about the importance of kindness and character. Could I do this without a title? Yes. Would anyone listen? Probably not. Worse case scenario, I don't win the title. I can guarantee throughout the competition I will be talking to a lot of my fellow competitors about true beauty. Encouraging just one woman to buck our culture's shallow view of beauty is enough motivation for me. Wish me luck!