A lot of people think that pageants can get really nasty and horrible; I suppose it can be true and I have heard my fair share of horror stories but I have also heard some lovely and uplifting stories of girls really supporting each other. For pinup pageants, and any other competition, there’s a way to carry yourself through which shows respect to your fellow competitors, judges, organisers and audience. Today I wanted to discuss some basic pageant etiquette for contestants to follow which in turn will make the pageant experience more enjoyable for everyone.

Before the Pageant
-Upon entering your pinup pageant, it’s totally ok to connect with the other contestants. Some pageants create a Facebook group to allow contestants to chat beforehand; always be supportive, polite and understanding. It’s ok to offer help and assistance.
-Be supportive of social media posts; express and share your excitement with other contestants, thank sponsors, judges and others involves and interact in a positive way.
-A lot of pageants are run by a small group of passionate people; support them by sharing their work, discussing the pageant on your social media and expressing your excitement.
-Share the sponsors of the pageant. Pageant sponsors are more often than not a small company so giving them a social media shoutout can be really helpful to them.
-If you do enter into a conflict or dispute, contact the organisers. Be polite, honest and calm about the situation. Do not hound the organisers; they have enough going on without having to deal with petty dramas.
-If you have a personal emergency or tragedy happen before the pageants, message the organisers and let them know. Sometimes just having someone who knows what’s happening behind the scenes can be a comfort. This is also important if you plan on removing yourself from the competition; do so before the actual day so you don’t effect scheduling.

During the Pageant
-Arrive a little bit early or on time. Pageants are hectic to organise with lots going on, by arriving on time, no one is stressing about where you are. If you are running late, please message someone with an ETA and be polite when you arrive.
-Check in with the organisers and let them know you have arrived. They shouldn’t be chasing you but you also don’t need to hound them.
-Do not enter the pageant feeling cocky. Confidence is fine but being cocky isn’t going to go down well. There are no guarantees in the pageant world no matter how prepared, popular or perfect you are.
-Be kind and supportive of other contestants. Pageants can be wonderful for making friends and sharing in an experience. A crown should not be prized over friendship.
-Be kind to everyone; some pageants have a ‘secret judge’ who watches the girls and their behaviour back stage to make sure the winner is a good person and worthy of the win. I know of two instances where the girl set to win was horrible back stage and didn’t place because of their behaviour. Yes, two different girls at two different pageants. Just be nice ok?
-If something goes wrong back stage, try to help if you can. Always carry an emergency kit and offer it if someone needs it; eg, a spare bobby pin, safety pins etc.
-Cheer on the other contestants. It’s scary on stage so cheer loudly and show your support for the girls especially if it’s their first time.

-Let your personality shine! Whenever you’re on stage, especially if you need to answer questions in an interview round, be yourself and be honest. We all want world peace so leave that answer out; it’s ok to be a bit goofy if that’s who you are.
-Smile! Whenever you get a chance on stage, smile. You never know when photos are being taken so you don’t want them to capture your sour face, especially if the winner is announced and it’s not you.
-Have fun! You don’t get many times in your life to go out on stage and dress up. So enjoy the experience and leave all the stress back stage. If you’re having fun, your audience will be having fun too.
-Be supportive of the results even if they are not in your favour. Not everyone can win or even place in a pageant and everyone has put in so much time and effort, just like you. The judges have made their decision and that’s something worth supporting.
-Don’t be a sore loser; do not storm off stage, throw a temper tantrum or look visibly put out. I’ve seen girls storm out and throw a fit on the side of the stage and it’s not a good look.
-If you do win, congratulations! Be courteous, thankful and humble. A sore loser is bad but a sore winner is even worse. Don’t boast, brag or behave inappropriately. This is a great moment and remember there will always be people who are disappointed, give them support and encouragement. Act like the queen you just became.

After the Pageant
-Congratulate all the contestants; they just did a huge scary thing and should be proud of themselves.
-Thank the judges, organisers and sponsors in person if you can and also on social media when you get home. This can often be overlooked but it’s always nice to thank everyone publicly and show your support after the event.
-Complete your duties on the day; some pageants are part of a larger event and may require contestants to complete certain obligations. Complete them as required with humility and dignity. I’ve seen contestants storm off and refuse to complete their duties which is very rude to the organisers who did their best to run a smooth event; this is also an action that will be remembered in the future.
-If you do have an issue you want to address, do so in a calm and courteous manner. Do not hound the judges and organisers as soon as the girls get off the stage. Don’t hurt someones moment just because you feel hurt and snubbed.
-Do not leave any rubbish or left over props behind for someone else to clean up. You may no longer have a need for them but trust me, organisers do not have time to disassemble your props and throw them out. if you brought it in, take it out.
-Post up any photos you took of the day and share them. Some contestants are too overwhelmed to take many photos (myself included) and don’t have much to share after the event is over so by seeing group shots, it’s very helpful and nice.
-Don’t get discouraged. There will always be new pageants and other competitions for you to enter so try again until you reach your goal. I’m sure every time you go out on stage, you grow into your character a bit more and shine just a little brighter.

Pageants can bring out the best and worst in people. Pressure and stress can do a lot to a person, even the ones who seem to have it all put together. Being kind and courteous may not win you many points, but at the end of the day, these events are just a little bit of fun to help communities come together. Some pageants may be huge events with many rounds, but just be kind as you never know what others are going through.
One of my favourite pageant moments was right after the pageant had completed. One of the contestants came up to me and thanked me for all my cheering and support; it was her first pageant and she was petrified of everyone being nasty but finding that glimmer of support meant the world to her. She may not have placed but she was already excited for the next pageant. Word on the street, she came second in her second pageant, she knows who she is and I’m so proud of her! Kindness is everything.

This post is part of a Pinup Pageant Guide mini-series. Feel free to find more posts from this series here:

-Writing a Pinup Bio
-Sending in Pinup Pageant Applications
–How to Plan a Routine
-Planning your Pageant Outfits
-Planning your Pageant Hair and Makeup
-Using Props on Stage
-Posing on Stage
-What to do on Stage
-What to Pack for Pinup Pageant Day
-Pageant Etiquette

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way.