I have a friend who does Mrs. Pageants. I don’t get it, but she can afford it and it makes her happy so why not? From the outside, it seems like a fun game for some reasonably nice looking women (definitely not the hottest, but you can tell they put in some effort) with enough disposable income and free time who haven’t found a hobby they love enough to spend their time and money on.
It reminds me of a MLM, except they’re trying to win it all rather than build a new level to support them. You have to invest a bit of money, it takes a lot of time, and even if you win you won’t profit. You will, however, lean on your friends and family for support, either through their presence at the pageant or through donations. Apparently pageants (the actual event) aren’t popular enough to operate on money generated from ticket sales, and they don’t get enough corporate sponsorships on their own, so the contestants need to solicit donations/sponsorships.
It’s an expensive hobby because you need clothes, hair and makeup, possibly a stylist, maybe get some work done, definitely dermatology and products, plus travel to events. It seems to be sort of short lived though, because you either win and you’re finished or you get burned out and don’t want to compete in the Mrs. Watermelon Festival for the 6th time after not even placing the first 5 years.
The people involved mostly seem nice, albeit superficial. Everyone is either trying to sell you something, get a donation, or get a vote to win a prize. It’s quite congenial.
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