Pageants are a contest that evaluates a contestant’s beauty, poise, grasp of the world, and talent, and are still a popular rite of passage for many girls and young women. In addition to guiding their children to new heights of beauty, poise, and artistry, many parents hire a pageant coach ahead of time to educate contestants on the obvious and not-so-obvious methods of ensuring pageant success. While a pageant coach cannot bestow beauty, he or she can instill in students the belief that beauty is a goal that can be achieved.
A pageant coach frequently brags about his or her own accomplishments as well as those of his or her students, and charges students the hour to share insider information. Some coaches provide phone services to assist contestants with the more difficult interview portions of beauty pageants. Others are storefront operations that, in addition to interview preparation, walk students of all ages through stage walking, modeling fundamentals, makeup, poise, etiquette, and wardrobe selection. These services can cost upwards of $100 US Dollars (USD) per hour.
A coach may focus on different aspects of the contests depending on the age of the pageant hopeful. Younger pageant contestants are regularly judged in a talent portion in addition to poise, wardrobe, and competence during an interview, encouraging young initiates to develop more than just vanity-related abilities. Even so, it appears that the coaching of younger contestants is primarily focused on developing stage confidence, as well as confidence in their wardrobe and makeup, which translates into points on paper.
A pageant coach may be preparing children for local or regional pageants for younger contestants. Municipalities occasionally hold these to elect an annual queen of the city. Other times, a business may hold a pageant to select a blueberry queen or strawberry princess to drive a car in an upcoming parade and attend various events throughout the year. Local or regional competitions are also held accredited beauty pageant organizations each year, with major crowns and prizes awarded.
As contestants grow older and consider entering the official pageant circuit, a pageant coach may increase the focus on interview questions and modeling techniques. Many countries hold an annual pageant to crown the “queen” of the country. The Miss America pageant, for example, includes a talent show, an interview, a swimsuit, formal wear, and a group dance. Aside from that, contestants from all over the world can compete in a Miss World or Miss Universe competition to gain more international recognition for their beauty.