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29/08/2021
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TONETON
BY TRAVIS HUMPHREYAUGUST 29, 202100
MYSTIC – Miss North America 2021 may not be showing off her shoes this Labor Day when the official Miss America organization hosts its iconic “Show Us Your Shoes Parade” for the first time at Mystic, but she is mobilizing to highlight light the ever-changing image of beauty pageants in the country.
“There are a lot of different contests,” said Kaitlyn Benson, 21, of Hope Valley, the reigning 2021 Miss North America. “I’m not affiliated with the Miss America organization, but I fell in love with the pageantry after my first orientation.”
Benson, who was also Miss Ocean State 2019, said she initially had a different take on beauty pageants and imagined them all to be “glitzy and glamorous” like the reality show “Toddlers and Tiaras“.
“The idea of 3-year-olds wearing makeup,” she said, was not very appealing. But as she learned about the opportunities and philosophies of various contests and learned the history of pageantry, she changed her mind.
Long history of pageantry
“The Miss America pageant and its sponsor, the Miss America Organization, have gone from being a seaside showcase for frolicking bathers to a pageant that now emphasizes scholarships and social causes,” says “American Experience ”, an article from The Public. Diffusion system.
In 1921, the winner of the first “Inter-City Beauty Contest” was crowned “Miss America” and took home a top prize of $ 100, according to PBS, and “although the number of contestants and the popularity of the contest were Increased throughout the decade, the event was closed in 1927 due to mounting criticism and accusations of immorality, as well as a lack of financial support, ”the story continues. The organizers relaunched the competition in 1933, and by 1940 it “regained its financial base and respectability,” then continued as a non-profit event and chose the Atlantic City Convention Hall as its permanent venue.
“National Executive Director Lenora Slaughter has shaped the modern spectacle by adding features such as state competitions, the scholarship program and a judging category based on personal interviews,” the show added.
In the 1990s, the pageant was reformed into the Miss America Organization, a nonprofit with three separate divisions: the traditional Miss America Pageant, the scholarship fund, and a Miss America Foundation.
“For the past 99 years, Miss America has been one of the best-known names in the country and has been at the center of everything from national trends and social movements to the birth of television,” according to the website. of the Miss American organization. “The young women involved have made a significant difference in people’s lives through their charitable and community service efforts, using the national platform to educate millions of Americans about the issues facing the nation.”
“Miss America is more than a title,” according to the site’s history page, “it’s a movement that allows young women around the world to dream big, insist their voices be heard and inspire change in the world around them “.
Expand plan
Benson is part of an organization called Pageant Planet, which was founded by “aspiring motivational speaker” Steven Roddy to “grow and connect the contest industry,” according to the website.
As Roddy followed his girlfriend’s journey to the Miss America stage and watched as women spent time and money “on trainers, dresses, contest entry fees and more, he was intrigued by how these women found their coaches and, once they did, how they afforded that, ”the website says.
Noticing “a major gap in the industry”, he set up his company designed to “connect and expand pageantry in a revolutionary way”.
His business is designed to find candidates and put them in touch with coaches, judges and facilitators and to help them “succeed in their pageantry and keep up to date with competition news,” according to his Linkedin account.
“It’s very authentic and very encouraging,” said Benson, who said she enjoyed making appearances and “interacting with the kids.”
“They demand that you be active and engaged in your community,” she added. “I like to encourage children to follow their dreams.”
Following dreams in Southeast Connecticut
Meanwhile, 51 women will follow their dreams of pageantry in Mystic this Labor Day when they take part in the “Show Us Your Shoes” parade – part of Miss America’s official 100th birthday celebration – and compete for the title of “Miss America” of the group that started the pageantry in the United States.
The parade will kick off on Clara Drive in Mystic at 10 a.m. on September 6 and will feature Miss America hopefuls from across the country and Washington, DC, as well as a number of “Forever Miss Americas” who will feature “an elaborate parade of costumes and shoes decorated to showcase their country of origin,” according to a statement from Mohegan Sun.
The parade is so named because parades of years past have shouted “show us your shoes” at Miss America contestants as they drove down the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk.
Following Monday’s parade, the Miss America contestants will visit Ocean Beach Park in New London, the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Buttonwood Farm in Griswold and the Slater Museum at Norwich Free Academy.
The event is part of a three-year partnership between Mohegan Sun – which hosted the 2020 Miss America pageant – and the Miss America organization, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The next Miss America will be chosen in December at the Mohegan Sun.
“After the success of the 2020 Miss America Pageant at Mohegan Sun, we knew we had created something very special here in Connecticut,” Mohegan Sun president and CEO Jeff Hamilton said in a statement, “and we are excited to be able to host Miss America events and competitions for the next three years at our destination. “
The event has become one of the biggest annual events in terms of size, scope and reach, he added, noting that values ”such as community support and empowerment” are shared by both organizations.
“The milestone competition will continue to highlight a diverse group of young students and professionals who are advancing the message of women’s strength, independence and empowerment through their efforts in the fields of scholarship. , talent and social impact, ”said Hamilton.
“The Miss America organization is one of the best-known names and has been at the center of national trends and social movements for 100 years,” said Shantel Krebs, president and CEO of the Miss America organization in a e-mail Saturday afternoon. “Candidates who participate in the program acquire skills in public speaking, job interviewing and other professional development training to help them get started in their educational and professional goals.”
“The Miss America organization awards more than $ 5 million in scholarships per year,” she added. “Each year, thousands of contestants compete while championing and educating their communities on a social impact initiative, a cause close to their hearts. We are thrilled to have our national contest in December at our glamorous new home, Mohegan Sun, Connecticut. Their dedication to excellence and state-of-the-art facilities make them the perfect partner as we enter our second century of serving exceptional young American women. “
“For 100 years, Miss America has been an icon, a champion of social causes and one of the nation’s leading providers of scholarships to women,” Krebs added.
On September 7, a formal paid gala will be held at the casino with music, dancing, entertainment, photos and videos from the organization’s last 100 years and speeches from several women who have worn the crown.
The next day, a ceremony will be held at Mohegan Sun’s Cabaret Theater to proclaim September 8 “Miss America Day” in Connecticut, when elected officials are to “recognize and honor the contributions the Miss America Organization has provided to women throughout. its 100-year history, “according to a statement from Mohegan Sun. The ceremony will start at 9 a.m. and is open to the public.
Miss America nominees contribute tens of thousands of hours of community service each year and have raised over $ 17 million for Children’s Miracle Network hospitals and Miss America scholarships since 2007. The foundation offers college, service scholarships. community and others to young women.
And while she may not be part of the official Miss America organization, Benson, Miss North America 2021, has said she is always ready to make local appearances and talk to women who want to know. more on how the pageantry works.
Benson, who volunteers at Exeter-West Greenwich Animal Shelter – where she found her dog, Daisy, a pitbull-mastiff mix – said there was nothing more rewarding for her than watching the reactions children when she made her own official appearances.
“I can’t even tell you how rewarding it is,” said Benson, who pays a fee to enter her contest, in a phone interview last week, “and I can’t tell you how much. of times little girls, looking at my belt and crown, look up at me and ask, “Are you Elsa?” “
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