There She (AND HER RING) ARE........

Guess what........IT'S MRS. AMERICA WEEK!!!!!

It's that time of year when beautiful married women from around the country converge on Tuscon, Arizona - specifically the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort - to compete for the coveted title of Mrs. America!!!

In all the pageants I've ever competed in - this one was BY FAR my favorite.  The weather was beautiful, the resort was amazing, the other delegates were BEYOND fabulous, the choreographers were a hoot, the winner was deserving and it was extremely memorable.   One would think that 2.5 weeks with 51 other "catty pageant girls" would be hell, but I experienced quite the opposite.  We had more in common than you could ever imagine and I gained more than three dozen "sorority" sisters - there will ALWAYS only be ONE Class of 2009.

 

There are some BEAUTIFUL delegates competing this year, and I am sure they all have great backgrounds with tons of experience to share and platforms to promote.    Just a few that caught my attention...

Mrs. District of Columbia - Meredith Egwuatu

Mrs. Georgia - Eiesha M. Horsley

Mrs. Maryland - Zereana Jess-Huff

Mrs. Oregon - Shakelah Morgan

Mrs. Pennsylvania - Amira Hamid Joseph

Mrs. National First Runner-Up   Sioux Falls South Dakota - Shirlene Hagler

Thanks Beyoncé - ….. I think!

Pretty shouldn't hurt!

I don't even know how I came across this video today, but I saw crowns and trophies (****squirrel ****)

Why is it that when ever anyone wants to make a point about inner beauty, enhancing self confidence and self-esteem and being proud of yourself they always showcase the down side of pageantry?  I mean COME ON, can we get away from the bad raps already?

I love Beyonce' as much as the next person, but I was a little offended at the negativity associated with the backstage pageant inference.  {Okay, for argument's sake forget about all of the seasons of Toddlers & Tiaras -----PLEASE :-)!! } Pageant really are a good thing, I've met some of my best friends competing against them in pageants!

In any event, I know how much I love pageantry and what I have gained from it.  I have seen countless young women earn scholarships, make lifelong friends, travel the world and promote platforms that bring light to many social ills as well as raise much needed funds for for a variety of causes.

So while I didn't too much care for the video (like the song). I am gonna say THANKS Beyonce' for giving me another chance to speak about the BEAUTY of pageantry.  Pretty shouldn't hurt!

Operation Pretty and Polished…..The work of the Crown continues!

We, here at Pageants & Pearls, just LOVE to see queens give back and continue the work of their crown!  We especially love it when they give back and make young ladies more beautiful at the same time!  This past weekend, that's exactly what happened at Operation Pretty and Polished in Washington, DC - thanks to State Farm and Once Upon a Prom.

Local DC Area teens had the opportunity to pick out prom suits and dresses for the season.  Radio Station, WPGC 95.5, was a major promoter of the event!

One of my FAVORITE pageant queens - Mrs. Maryland International 2011 Sandra Bryan-Grier was on hand to help motivate, style and encourage young people.  Along with her daughter, their organization SanSan's Closet donated multiple pieces of jewelry, handbags, shoes, gowns and more.

Sandra put out a call to her pageant friends, network and family - through their contributions a donation of:
* 73 Gowns/Cocktail Dresses (15 new)
*15 Packets with Pastie Bras
* 15 Purses (3 new)
*30 Earrings (25 New)
* 12 Fashion Bracelets (New)
*25 Pairs of Shoes

Way to go Sandra, a GREAT job showcasing that the work of a TRUE beauty queen never stops. The power of the crown and sash can always be used for good!  

In Memory of Darrin K. James........We're Back!!!

My dear pageant friends, fans & supporters,

I know it's been a while.....I've been through a few life changes over the past nine months...most profoundly the sudden loss of my husband in November 2013.  He was my biggest supporter and quiet as kept, took great pride in being Mr. Maryland United States and Mrs. District of Columbia America respectively.

It's now time to get back in the saddle and return to what I love and enjoy......watching, researching, looking at and reviewing pageants, beauty trends, inspiring young people and female empowerment.  I hope you will rejoin me as we get back on this roller coaster of exploring the Pageants & Pearls of pageantry.

I love you Babe! Rest in peace. Thank you for always being there for me and being the life of the "husband" parties at Nationals. I am still going strong and thinking of you.

In the infamous (yet, modified) words of Jay-Z "You ready Dee?" BEST BELIEVE I AM!!!  Pageant season #2014 is here.

For more on our pageant and event planning services, please visit www.madisondonovangroup.com

Just because.......the girl from Kansas

Whewwwwwwwwwwwww, what a tizzy the last few weeks have been.  Pageant, after pageant, after pageant - I didn't mean to neglect you dear readers :-(   But, now that the pageant frenzy has slowed to a crawl I am back! 

Surfing the web this morning, I came across this awesome picture that I wanted to share, just because!

 

According to the Miss Kansas Organization, Theresa Vail - Miss Kansas 2013 was recently promoted to the rank of Sergeant and is officially a non-commissioned officer in the Kansas National Guard.  She's been a member of the Guard since she was 17.

Not only is she a soldier, this beauty, who has eight siblings, LOVES archery!!!

Reading up on her, I found out that her platform is to "empower women through male-dominated activities ... and that’s not just hunting and archery."    I will be excited to see this Kansas State University beauty in Atlantic City next month!

Mrs. International Pageant ....... in living color !!!

Whew, a vacation does a WORLD of good!  I am back, feeling nice and refreshed.  The mountain air, cool crisp breezes and lots of rest has totally rejuvenated me!   A lot happened while I was away.

Three new School America system queens were crowned in Orlando (more on that later this week) and the Mrs. International pageant kicked off in Chicago.   Known as one of the BIG THREE, this pageant always provides LOTS of great looks and surprises.

I've decided (as I can do, because it's my blog) to highlight some of the women of color in this year's Mrs. International pageant. Ironically, the very first Mrs. International was an African-American - Joanne Brown in 2000.  

There has been one other Mrs. International titleholder of color - Armaiti Shahidi-Fitzgerald in 2009.

Now let's look at some of the 2013 contestants:

Ceylone Boothe Grooms, Mrs. New Jersey International 

Nedjy Jean-Charles, Mrs. Haiti International

Afoma Eguh-Okafor, Mrs. Africa International

Quynci Joyner, Mrs. Arkansas International

Karli Bose, Mrs. Asia International

Leila Fraga, Mrs. Brazil International

Tenisha Dotstry, Mrs. District of Columbia International

LaSheila Yates, Mrs. Iowa International

Joyce Lee Mei Hui, Mrs. Malaysia International

Lailani Gatdula Llanto, Mrs. Manilla International

LaSonja Coleman, Mrs. Maryland International

Gisel Merrifield, Mrs. Mexico International

Andrea Bennet Xiong, Mrs. Minnesota International

Bola Harpprecht, Mrs. New Zealand International

 

 Sanam Azeem, Mrs. Pakistan International

Alicia Almendral, Mrs. Phillippines International

Octavia Ephraim, Mrs. South Africa International

Mireya Rangel, Mrs. Latin America International 

Charlotte Shores, Mrs. Washington International

I don't know about you, but I am pretty impressed!!!!  This is a significant number and a great amount of diversity.  Learn more about the contestants (I've linked where I could)....I am sure you'll like what you read.

I've had a couple of great friends compete in this system and believe me when I tell you - doing well is NO easy task.  These women put tons of work into developing their platform, working hard for Go Red, fund raising and making appearances!  I should know, I've seen my fair share of Mrs. International titleholder "work" ;-).

 with Mrs. All-American Classic and Mrs. North Carolina International 2009 at a MLK Day Parade in Baltimore, MD

with Mrs. Maryland International 2011 at a press event

with Mrs. All-American Classic and Mrs. Maryland International 2009 after speaking at a Health & Fitness Fair in DC.

 with Mrs. Maryland All-American and Mrs. Maryland International 2006 at a roller skating fundraiser

This could be the year that the Mrs. International pageant runs off with the lead!  Of the "BIG THREE" - Mrs. International is the only pageant to have crowned more than one woman of color with it's ultimate title.  Mrs. United States has only crowned one - Stephanie Hunt of Michigan in 2007.  The Mrs. America system has crowned, two Hawai'ians in the last 12 years, but not a woman of "brown skin".  Interesting!

Good luck to all the contestants!!! Don't forget to make lots of memories and have a blast!

 

Miss Elementary Mid-Atlantic Pageant

Well lookey here!  There is a new division in the Multi State School Pageant system.

The Jr. High, High School and Collegiate America state preliminaries for Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York & Pennsylvania are held together annually in Lancaster, PA - usually during the first weekend in August.  

This year state director, Tracey Jamison, has elected to add an elementary division - to offer younger girls (perhaps siblings or older contestants) a chance to see the pageant first hand and compete in their own right.   The pageant is comprised of three area of competition, which are equally scored, are:

1) On-­stage presentation/Fun Fashion - Fun fashion is where each girl should have fun showing her personality and personal style.  Fun fashion will be worn DURING on-­stage introduction.

 
2) Introduction/poise - Each girl will give a brief introduction to show her level of comfort speaking in public.  The script will be the same for all contestants - Name, Grade, School, City & State.

3) Evening gown - The evening gown segment may be a “flower girl” type dress or pageant dress.

If you're in the market for a pageant for younger girls, check this one out!