I was honored to be a judge for the 5th Anniversary of the full-figured curvy girl pageant. I admired the courage n strength it took for each of those women to put themselves on front street. You could surely tell the dedication and hard work they put into the pageant. I took being a judge seriously and used the guidelines provided to judge accordingly. It got me to wondering...
...being in this judging seat put me on the other side of the glass for a change. In life and throughout; we are all in competition in some capacity whether with ourselves or others. Have you ever been on an interview panel? Listening to someone compete for a position by selling the panel on what qualifies them for the job. Being a judge so to speak, on the panel; your taking notes to determine if they have what it takes to do the job. The winner takes the crown or in this case...the job is the crown!
How are u competing in the dating world? Are you competitive enough to win their heart? If ur in the dating game; are u what they judges are looking for becuz u may come up short in some categories. It's not the end of the world. When u lose in some areas of life-regroup n get back out there. Some competitions are harder than others. The intro is underrated. U never get a 2nd chance to make a first impression is REAL n we need to take it seriously. For me as a judge, I pay attention to ur intro (hence why I stress the importance of being aware of ur image u present to the public) becuz it gives me a glimpse of need to knows. I typically fumble with introducing myself becuz I don't wanna ramble but I also don't wanna leave anything out. I always feel so vain describing myself n I'd rather remain mute n let my presence n body language speak for me.
Whether u are the judge or being judged; I've narrowed it down to my Top 3 qualities needed to compete in life:
Confidence: It's not just the mindset but also the results of the work you've taken to get to where you are. A lot of people walking around wit faux confidence and I can see it. I can tell when you claim to say it out loud to convince us yet at ur core u are insecure. When u truly know ur value u embrace it by how well u carry urself. U show it by how u speak life to not just urself but others. Whether I win or lose in the competition it doesn't deflate my confidence becuz I've worked hard to get where I am. I look back on a lot of struggles n still smile through the storm becuz my triumph's can't be taken from me. I earned EVERY stripe n built my house brick by brick.
Uniqueness: As much as we hear "be yourself" for some reason...we still can't quite be ourselves becuz we get visions blurred by other people n their lifestyles in which we aspire to be...like! Stop it. If u are naturally awkward, lean into it n turn ur "weakness" into a strength by making it ur signature. U ever see people fake smile n u can tell they struggled to form such a gesture. I am naturally me. Often times I am unaware of my "powers" cuz it's just...me! What is ur signature that will set u apart from the competition? For me, it's my personality. I know how to balance having a sense of humor with being serious to get the job done as needed. Being unapologetically YOU will always make u a winner; crown or no crown!
Talent: One of the most important categories of the competition. This is where judges look for technique. Anybody can be a pretty face n wear sparkly garments but what type of talent do u bring to the competition. Judges are looking for ur value within ur talent to be considered to win the crown. Your skill whether natural or honed with experience rounds out the scoring. Don't worry about ur performance being similar to ur competition becuz u need to focus on hitting the stage with a different technique. The quality of ur talent sets u apart.
Confidence + Uniqueness + Talent; those are my main standards to be measured when I judge. It's what I look for when finding my tribe. A strong force to be reckoned with when u have a strong circle of friends of this caliber. We are all wearing crowns of competitions we've won. We've all had competitions lost. There are categories in which I proudly pass my crown to so they can carry the torch n continue the good work being done. I'm not stingy with my crown and take great pride in wearing mine as u should urs. I also have my sights on other crowns I'm working to win but just know each crown has been well-deserved and earned. How determined are u to win ur crown? Who or what is ur biggest competition? What categories are u scoring by?
Note: Following this post will be a wrap up of the 2021 Ms Full Figure DMV Pageant where I had a great time judging. My Celeb MUA who blessed my face; my sister Iyana.
