Scholarship pageant; not beauty pageant
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December 14, 2009 • Colton Fullmer, Guest Contributor
Filed under 2009-2010
Kara Affleck never knew she could win money for her appearance and talents until she became a contestant at the Miss Bear Paw Pageant this past summer.
“I was in it for the money,” said Affleck
Although Kara Affleck didn’t win the crown at the Bear Paw Pageant, it got her ready for the Miss Chugiak/Eagle River Pageant, which took place in November. Affleck entered the pageant with three other contestants as her competition.
“I thought this pageant was a great success for myself because I walked away with quite a bit of money,” said Affleck
Affleck third place position didn’t bring in any scholarship dollars, but she did win a total of $850 based on: her talent score, selling the most tickets, and for winning the crowd-pleasing award. There are numerous scholarship awards given out at each pageant, providing contestants with several opportunities to win scholarship dollars.
“I was surprised at how much I had won. It was exciting to walk away from the pageant with more scholarship money,” said a very satisfied Affleck.
Although preparing for this competition might seem easy, Affleck described all the hard work she had to endure before the pageant.
“Everyday I had to exercise. You have to look perfect. I had to lose pounds so I could improve my score during the swimsuit competition. If I didn’t diet, then I might not have been able to fit into the dress I chose to wear,” said Affleck.
The majority of the girls who competed, including Affleck, had to undergo some transformation to get a step up on their competition.
“You have to look like a Barbie Doll if you want to compete. They gave us free tanning at a salon in Anchorage and I used that as much as I could. It feels good to be tan, but I also feel so fake,” said Affleck.
Affleck and the other contestants got hair extensions, haircuts, manicures, and pedicures. They also went tanning often and had strict diet and exercise programs.
“Dieting is very important. If I didn’t diet and exercise, then I would have been way behind the competition,” said Affleck.
Despite all the sacrifices Affleck made for the scholarship money, she though it was worth every cent she earned.
“I’m going to participate in the Miss Forget-Me-Not Pageant in February because it is way worth the scholarship money. Hopefully I’ll win more money this time,” said Affleck.
