The Differences Between Glitz and Natural Beauty Pageants

This week I got the same question from two different moms whose daughters want to be Miss America one day.

What is the difference between glitzy and natural beauty pageants and which one do I recommend?

Both flashy and natural pageants can help young girls build confidence and stage presence in a fun environment; but there are great differences between ostentation and the natural worlds of pomp. To understand where my point of view is coming from, let me first point out that both young women want to compete in the Miss America system. Second, I am a specialist natural contest coach with my expertise in resume writing, interview/communication skills, and developing a positive self-image.

Natural Contests

Pageant systems that fall into this category are National American Miss (NAM), American Coed Pageant (COED), International Junior Miss (IJM), America’s National Teenager (ANTSO), Cinderella, America’s Outstanding Teen, Miss America, Teen-World , Miss United States, Mrs. America, Mrs. United States and Mrs. International. There are many more, but this is a sample of systems familiar to people in the world of contests.

• Generally speaking, the makeup guideline for children under 12 is zero. Some will only allow mascara and lip gloss on stage in bright lighting. Makeup worn on teens and women is to enhance natural beauty, not to become the focal point or to make them look like someone they are not. The same goes for the hairstyle. Always be sure to check with your manager about the details of your contest.
• The clothing is tasteful and has a shine; but it is not too ornate. The costume is usually purchased from a store and subtly embellished or customized by the contestant to reflect her sense of personality and style. The wardrobe should always draw attention to the girl who wears it. Not the other way.
• The modeling style for the dress is elegant and smooth. The arms and hands are close to your body moving in natural opposition (when you step forward with your right foot, your left arm moves forward, and so on).
• Facial expressions are natural with the energy of the eyes and smile to match.
• Communication skills are developed through a stage presentation, a personal interview, and a question on stage.

Who does well in natural contests? Contestants who enjoy speaking, are skilled in an artistic talent, get good grades, have a charitable cause they are passionate about, and are well-rounded people who tend to excel in natural pageants. These skills can be easily transferred to life outside of the contest stage.

glitter contests

There are many glitz pageants across the country. If your child is smitten with facial beauty, this may be the place to start. Glitz contests offer the opportunity for young children to get used to being on stage before they can speak.

• In glitz contests, you will see the wearing of hairpieces, heavy makeup, deep tans, false teeth (called flippers), false eyelashes, and colored contact lenses worn by most of the contestants.
• The dress for the bling pageant is usually the short dress with a cupcake skirt.. A cupcake dress is a dress that is several inches above the knee, has multiple layers of lace, and is heavily beaded and beaded. Most of the dresses you see on the Toddlers and Tiaras TV show are cupcake dresses and they are filmed in bling pageants.
• Flash contests have their own style of modeling. Due to the full cupcake skirt, contestants learn to walk with their hands away from their body with their fingertips gently curving around the outer ruffle of their dress. When they walk, their arms do not move in the natural opposite way. Instead, they move in the same direction (if you take a step with your right foot, your right arm moves slightly with it).
• Facial expressions tend to be exaggerated with lots of lash movement, head tilting from side to side, and blowing kisses.
• The opportunity to develop oral communication skills is limited in flash contests.. If the contestant speaks, it is brief or just to say her name, age and where she is from. This may be because most of the contestants are infants and toddlers whose speech is not yet developed. Once again, the focus is on outer beauty.

Who does well in flashing contests? Contestants who really enjoy dressing up to create new characters on stage will love flashing contests. The crowns are bigger than the boy’s head and the trophies are twice his height. Usually there are also a lot of prizes.

Just make sure your child can tolerate having their hair combed, their eyelashes glued on, and wearing a lot of makeup. Flash pageants are high maintenance and expensive. They are very popular and easy to find for children under 5 years old.

Because the glitz environment is all about creating an illusion, it is difficult, but not impossible, for children who have only been in glitzy pageants to successfully transition to natural pageants as they get older. Modeling style, limited speaking experience, and facial expressions learned at a young age are difficult habits to break.

So to answer the second part of the question about what type of pageant would you recommend, given that both of these girls want to be Miss America one day (and what 10-year-old doesn’t want to be), I’d say stick to the pageant system. natural.