THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WWW.KANSAN.COM News WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008
COLLEGE LIFE
Beauty pageants more than just a hand wave
BY BRYAN CISLER bcisler@kansan.com
Staci Klinginsmith can't help it, but when the National American Miss Kansas Pageant rolls around next month she knows she will be on the edge of her seat. Klinginsmith, Overland Park senior, has been competing in beauty pageants since she was young, but the last several years she has put her performing dreams on hold.
To help pay for college, Klinginsmith now trains younger contestants for the pageant.
"I get more nervous watching the girls compete than when I actually compete because I invest so much time and energy in helping them succeed," Klinginsmith said. "It feels like they are my children on stage."
One thing that bothers Klinginsmith is the stereotypes others have regarding beauty pageants.
"People just think we are pretty
girls without anything going on upstairs," Klinginsmith said.
Klinginsmith, who plans to graduate next year with a business finance degree, said that beauty pageants helped prepare girls for life in the real world.
Natalie Hays, one of the girls Klinginsmith trains, said before she started competing, she was terrified of public speaking, but now because of the pageants she said she has become a better communicator. Klinginsmith said the pageants were designed to teach girls self-confidence.
"It is just putting these girls one step ahead," Klinginsmith said.
Klinginsmith trains the girls in everything from helping them prepare for the judges' questions during interviews to aiding the girls with picking the right dress. Klinginsmith said it had been easy adapting to her new role.
"I am more critical of them than
I was on myself when I competed because I want them to do so well," Klinginsmith said. "I try to watch every little detail I can think of so they can go in with their best foot forward."
Teresa Hays, Natalie's mother, said her daughter had benefited greatly from pageants.
"She is learning life-long lessons," Hays said. "The process has really prepared her for the future."
Klinginsmith also serves as a judge for pageants. She said being on the other side of the table for one-on-one interviews would be an experience that would help her when she decided to compete again after college.
"I won't be as nervous during the interview process, because it is not as stressful of a situation as I thought it was before," Klinginsmith said.
— Edited by Mandy Earles
Staci Klinginsmith, Overland Park senior, accepts an award during a beauty pageant. Klinginsmith now trains younger contestants to help pay for college.
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