Heather French Henry may have walked away with the title of Miss America 2000, but it’s her new position as the Commissioner for the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that shows how multi-faceted she truly is.
We stand with Heather in celebrating our nation’s veterans in this special podcast.
In this inaugural Pageant Junkies podcast, we finally unveil the identity of “Founding Junkie” and explain how the Pageant Junkies were born.
Introducing the latest positive tool in the Pageant Junkies library – Junkie Podcasts! With each episode you’ll discover tips, tools, and interviews to help you take the crown… And you never know which topic will be tackled!
Hosted by Founding Junkie, Carrie Lakey, the Pageant Junkies Podcast will be released every Tuesday and Thursday.
For a list of ALL previous Junkie Podcasts – visit http://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/pageantjunkies
Thanks for listening!
#JunkieLove
Hey Junkies! Long Time, No Blog! Thanks for coming back to visit!
Today’s post is part therapy (for me), part revelation (for you) and part transformation (for both of us). I feel the need to address my recent “life shift” and the place I find myself in, because of it.
That’s a picture of me. And here’s my name – Carrie Lakey.
Yes – in a world where people say pageant girls are only in it for the ‘glory and recognition’, I have spent years remaining largely anonymous and instead, operated under the pseudonym, “Founding Junkie”. In the beginning, it was fun to have an air of mystery and intrigue behind our Facebook page… It added to the idea that Pageant Junkies was a group of die-hard pageant fans, instead of one single person with a crazy Miss America obsession. 🙂
Even when we met fellow Junkies at Miss America – or traveled to one of the state pageants, we certainly didn’t announce our presence by wearing Junkie t-shirts, or request recognition from the stage, or try to gain access to special opportunities. In fact, when we did introduce ourselves, it was often to a contestant or a pageant person whom we admired. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel a little weird to walk up to someone out of the blue, say their name and then tell them, “I’m Carrie Lakey – and I’m the person behind Pageant Junkies.”
When I did venture out to do such, it was always great fun! I’ve formed countless of friendships now across the country in numerous states, because I introduced myself in person. The more I did it, the more obvious it became – pageant-loving people wanted to connect with like-minded Junkies! Still, I was happy to maintain my role of watching, assessing, and formulating an opinion, all from the comfort of my home office and laptop computer.
But now, something’s changed. Let’s just say – Life Shifted.
It’s become apparent to me, that continuing behind the scenes of Pageant Junkies, is no longer an option. Why? Well – it seems the longer “I lead” the Junkie Nation (and I use that term loosely), the more my goals for it, have changed.
Those of you who’ve followed Pageant Junkies for years and years know that our original goal was to change the online tone of pageant commentary. When we first started, there was not enough positive and waaaayyyy too much negative. So, we set out to prove you could enjoy pageants, feature contestants, highlight their accomplishments, and predict winners in a positive way. And for the most part, I think we’ve done a pretty darn good job of it. But now, ‘being positive’ and ‘changing the tone’ simply isn’t enough.
Now – it’s time for Pageant Junkies to step up and add value.
Don’t worry – we won’t quit being positive… But it’s time for us to move beyond talking about what’s going on in the pageant world – and start becoming a contributing force for good within it. It’s time for us to take our 10,000 strong community and do something that makes a positive impact on contestants who need it most.
Think of it this way… We used to sit back, observe, and write about what we saw taking place. Now, we wanna move from commentator/spectator to active participant. Yes, we’ll still continue to do our predictions… But rather than just writing about you, we wanna help you become someone we want to write about! The kinds of qualities and characteristics it takes to win a pageant are the same qualities and characteristics it takes to succeed in life. And as a business woman, I know the skills I learned from participating in pageants, are the exact same skills that made me successful in the corporate world. So, it’s no longer acceptable for us to simply sit on the sidelines… It’s time to get in the game, become a mentor, and help young women achieve whatever they wish to become in life.
Which is precisely why we’ve partnered with Training Ground for the Crown. Training Ground for the Crown is an online seminar where several pageant experts come together to offer you valuable tools you can use before your next pageant. Six speakers, 2 nights, all online. Doesn’t matter if you’re still trying to win a local this year, or you already know you’re headed to state, this event will help you think about some of the most important elements of competition and how you can improve before the big day comes. Feel free to visit http://www.traininggroundforthecrown.com/ to learn more. 🙂
But this seminar is just the beginning of our ‘value’ campaign for 2015. Over the next year, I’m committed to seeing numerous young ladies develop into strong, confident women of substance. Training Ground for the Crown is just a piece of that plan – During this next season, Pageant Junkies will work towards this new goal with gusto. Count on it.
It’s no longer about watching and commenting. It’s time to be a part of the solution. And if you have a pageant problem, Junkies wanna help solve it. Feel free to send us an email at ThePageantJunkies@gmail.com with your greatest pageant struggle. We can’t help if we don’t know what needs to be fixed. All submissions will be kept confidential – and I promise to personally respond to your email with any suggestions that might help.
This isn’t about following a formula for pageant success – this is about adding value to your life. And as Carrie Lakey, I know I can do that all day long.
At some point in your life, you’ll probably go through a Life Shift. When it happens to you, I hope you discover the same amount of resolve and purpose that we’ve found. You don’t have to sit on the sidelines either – Get in the game.
Be Positive, Add Value, Be a Junkie –
Carrie Lakey
This weekend, I had the great fortune of attending two weddings on the same day.
Actually, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Both weddings were held at the exact same time – with one being 25 miles away from my home and the other being 90 miles away from my home. Because I’ve known both grooms in each wedding for more than 10 years, it was important that our family find a way to attend both events – which wasn’t easy, but it certainly was entertaining! Let me explain…
Wedding #1 = Extremely Traditional Wedding in an Non-Traditional Venue.
This wedding had all that you’ve come to expect in traditional wedding ceremonies… The bridesmaids had baby’s breath in their hair, the groomsmen all wore vests, and there was a 3 piece string ensemble. Overall, it was pretty “by the book”. But the location was far from traditional! Written on the mailbox outside the venue, it actually said the words, “Salvage Yard”. There were old tractors, rusty bicycles, vines and twigs galore… Not to mention wagon wheels, old soda machines, and a giant wire sculpture of a rooster (seriously – the thing is like 15 feet tall). People sat on blankets during the reception. Burlap covered the tables. The Bride was lovely, the Groom was happy, and everyone rejoiced in their love.
Wedding #2 = Extremely Non-Traditional Wedding in a Traditional Venue.
This wedding looked anything but traditional. The groom wore high-top sneakers, even though his groomsmen wore dress shoes. The majority of the bridesmaids had punk rock hairstyles and tattoos on their arms, backs, legs and/or decolletage. Earrings, long beards, and hipster glasses were adorning multiple guests – along with masks, strange hats and various items with feathers! However, this wedding was held in a private mansion that was grand in scale and offered sweeping views of the eclectic area in which it was located. The Bride was lovely, the Groom was happy, and everyone rejoiced in their love.
In summary – each of these weddings, while beautiful, had their own ‘mis-match’ of sorts, which made them memorable and unique. Crazy thing is – this is a pageant blog, not a wedding blog. So that begs the question…
“What did these two weddings teach me about Miss America?”
Funny you should ask…
We think these weddings represent what the state of New York has done the past three years in a row with their Miss America contestants. In essence, the reason Miss New York can claim a Miss America 3-peat is because they’ve been sending “non-traditional girls” to the big dance in “traditional” Atlantic City.
Now, before you get all up in a tizzy, let us explain what we mean (and what we don’t mean).
Mallory, Nina and Kira all have a few things in common that do “traditionally” win at Miss America…
1. They’re super articulate.
Seriously. We haven’t seen Kira’s interview – but I don’t think we need to. And we already know how strong Mallory and Nina were in communicating their message in 10 short minutes. Every Miss America who’s been crowned (long before the NY ladies came along) has been a strong communicator. You can’t be Miss America if you’re not articulate and sharp – period, the end.
2. They all had compelling platforms.
Stopping sexual abuse, embracing cultural competency (or standing against racism) and ending domestic violence aren’t ‘safe’ platforms – but they are compelling. They all require someone to take a stand against injustice. It’s hard to deny injustice when someone talks passionately about it. It’s compelling and effective.
3. They knew it was important to stand out from the crowd.
Prior to her interview, Mallory tweeted a judge (which is all fairness, I’m not sure you’re allowed to do anymore – lol!). Nina knew Miss America didn’t look like she did 10 years ago and wouldn’t look the same 10 years from now, and Kira will forever be remembered as the Miss America with the cups. When there are 52 other smart, talented, beautiful women competing for the job you want, you realize you need to do whatever it takes to be remembered. That’s just good business practice.
However – just because Mallory, Nina and Kira all brought several “traditional” elements to their competition – they also had several non-traditional components about them as well…
1. Their evening gowns were super-simple, with very little (if any) bling.
They each had jewelry with high sparkle and shine – but nothing on the gowns themselves (Kira had a bit on her back – but that’s it). It takes guts to wear a dress on the Miss America stage that has zero adornments on it. If it’s too plain, it’s easy for the girl to look plain too. And trust us – Miss America is not interested in crowning someone who’s “plain”. We do know that much!
2. Their talents weren’t what you normally see crowned at Miss America.
Face it. The Talent each of these ladies displayed on the Miss America stage was tailor-made for a runner up position. I’m not denying the skill level or entertainment factors – not in the least! I’m just saying, in years past, talents like Mallory’s, Nina’s, and Kira’s, typically settled for a runner up scholarship – rather than the winner. Tap dancing to James Brown, performing a Bollywood dance, and using a plastic cup as percussion, isn’t usually classified as the kind of talent that wins Miss America (Nina and Kira both admitted it themselves – not sure about Mallory)… However – in each situation, entertainment was a key factor and it worked. 🙂
3. They weren’t a carbon copy of the last winner.
Tempting as it may be, Miss New York has not sent the same girl 3 years in a row to Miss America. They also didn’t try to ‘mold’ each girl into the mirror image of the previous girl. Unfortunately, there are some states out there who are trying to make their current winner look, act, and talk like the most recent woman from their state who performed well at Miss America – Even if that was 20 years ago!!! Mallory, Nina, and Kira are all different from each other in their looks, their mannerisms, their styles, and their personalities. No need to copy someone else when you’re an original.
Alright… You may be thinking we’re on to something… but what does this mean moving forward?
Well – before you ever make it to Miss America, you have to win your state title first. So, what’s a girl to do when she’s a non-traditional contestant caught in a traditional state?
If you know you’ve got the goods – but you just doesn’t ‘fit’ the model of what your state typically crowns, you have a couple of options…
1. Play Politics. LOL – This suggestion isn’t what you think… but we couldn’t resist the title. We’re not suggesting you start forming alliances, blackmailing, and kissing up to people in charge – we’re saying you should do what successful politicians do. Politicians all “play to the base” for their party’s nomination – then once they’ve won their primary, they start courting independent voters by ‘moving to the middle’ before the general election. As a contestant in this scenario, you’d do what you traditionally need to do in order to win your state pageant – then, if you wish (and if your state will let you), you become a bit more ‘non-traditional’ in your preparations for Miss America.
2. Social Media is your Friend. A lot of girls try to keep their performance details a secret. But social media is the perfect vehicle to ‘set the tone’ for who you are and why you’re non-traditional in an awesome way! If you have a non-traditional talent, don’t wait to showcase it at your state pageant! GET OUT THERE and show the rest of the world via social media what you have to offer – NOW! The same thing goes for your platform, or your quirky sense of style, or your non-pageant haircut… Whatever! The goal is to ‘intrigue’ people by not being a wall-flower. Be confident – and Be You!
3. Move. Honestly – if you’re a non-traditional contestant who’s been competing in a more traditional state without success, find another place to compete. Lots of girls do it – there’s nothing wrong with it. As long as you fit the criteria for competing in a different state (aka residency issues), Junkies say “go for it”. In case you didn’t realize it, Mallory, Nina and Kira were all born and raised in states other than New York… and it certainly worked for them! 🙂
And there you have it! Who knew these 2 weddings would become the perfect pageant analogy for this post!?!
In the end, whether you consider yourself a more ‘traditional’ contestant or there’s a more modernistic pageant chick inside of you just waiting to be set free – if you stay true to who you are, we know you’ll be sure to live happily ever after.
You may now wave and blow kisses to the crowd.
#JunkieLove
