Pageant for Your Platform… or Platform Only for the Pageant?

Why are you doing Internationals?

No honestly… why?

Are you doing the pageant for your platform… or the platform only for the pageant?

Compelling, right? Let me clarify and break it down…

Did you decide to do Internationals because it seemed like a fun and cool pageant with great areas of competition and limitless opportunities? Did you like the look of the crown? Did you struggle to be dedicated to your platform or find yourself only doing the platform because you wanted to win the pageant?

Or…

Do you have a fire inside of you for a cause that ignited your desire for the crown? Did you look at the different opportunities the crown would allow you to have for your platform and get inspired? Are you giving everything you have because you feel like you are fighting for something greater than yourself?

This takes some soul searching, but you have to be competing for the right reasons. We are not the kind of system that is only about outer beauty. Our mission is to make a difference. The crown is a vehicle and megaphone for your platform. It’s not just a year of glamour, which… there are glamorous opportunities for sure, it’s a year of hard work. You only have 365 days to use your crown for your platform. Those short 365 days cannot be about self glorification or looking at how pretty the crown looks on your shelf. They must be spent staying active, advocating, fundraising, brainstorming, making a difference, and representing the program.

Before you walk into the interview room, you must know the answer to this question. You must search deep in your heart and figure out why you are competing. The passion you have for your platform must radiate in the interview room without you saying a word. When you do speak, judges will be able to read you very quickly. If they sense that your intentions are not pure, interview can go down hill quickly.

The crown is beautiful, but secondary in the big scheme of life. This is a year of service. Think of it as a glamorous job interview. It’s the best job in the world, but it is a job nonetheless. The crown needs to be out and working far more than sitting in a crown box. This pageant is not like a typical pageant - we do things differently. We are International Pageants.

So why are you competing? Are you doing the pageant for your platform… or only doing your platform because of the pageant?

Redefining Beauty Worldwide,

Amanda Moreno
Miss International 2016