by Nancy Linenkugel
Contributor
As Thanksgiving week approached, any number of faculty and staff at the university where I work asked me what I was going to be doing for the Thanksgiving holiday break. I replied, “I’ll be judging a beauty pageant.” The incredulous reactions were something like, “You? Judging a beauty pageant? What does a nun know about doing that?”
Indeed, what do I know about it? Besides, I’m not just one of the judges. I’m the head judge. Among other duties, I bring plenty of interview questions along and share those with the other judges to make sure everyone is ready for the closed-door interviews.
It’s a scholarship pageant after all, and a local event for the state pageant which then feeds into Miss America, so it’s about a lot more than beauty. To answer their questions, I’d launch into an explanation about what gets judged and say something like this: “The private interview with the judges counts 25 percent, which the evening audience never sees, and is just conversation with the contestants; I’ve interviewed people all my life, so I can do that part. I’m a musician so I understand the talent part. The swimsuit segment shows health and fitness, and I get that. So the part that I know least about is the evening gown competition. Any advice?”
And there was plenty of advice.
“The hardest part of that is walking in spikey high heels, so if they stand tall and don’t wobble, give them points.”
“I hate sparkly and spangled material – plain is better.”
“This part is supposed to show if they look and act like ladies, so keep that in mind.”
“A white dress is more elegant than a dark color.”
“If you had a daughter, what would you want her to wear?” And so on.
The pageant itself went well. The six of us judges easily agreed on the winner (who, by the way, wore a very lovely, simple and classic dress – it was white, elegant, and very Miss America-like.)
During the judging, I found myself naturally drawn to the contestants who were genuine. No fake-y hair attachments. No pretentions during the talent. Onstage interview answers that were heartfelt and not just rattling off practiced phrases from activist platforms. Smiles that let you into their hearts.
Indeed, what does a nun know about judging a beauty pageant? Better yet, why should a nun be serving as a judge about anything in the first place? Aren’t we all on a quest for authenticity? Each of us wants to live an authentic life, but a beauty pageant also has that same quest. Each contestant’s genuineness is revealed in many ways whether planned or unplanned. For example, during the interview a contestant who is passionate about something has examples and can speak about that cause easily. Beauty pageant winners end up being ambassadors for all sorts of things, so you strive to have winners who are genuine. As a sister I hope I saw that – and helped the other judges to see that, too.
[Sr. Nancy Linenkugel is a Sylvania Franciscan sister and chair of the department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio.]