20, December 2012
It's no secret that pageant girls love to give back. That's why so many contestants have a pageant platform, or a cause that a contestant or titleholder dedicates their time to working on or giving back to. With so many causes out there, how does anyone choose just one pageant platform? How do you get ideas for a pageant platform? And once you figure all that out, how do you promote your pageant platform? Don't fret, we've got all the answers for you right here:
Contributed by Eddia Watts
A pageant platform is an integral part of becoming a contestant and a reigning queen once you win the title that you are after! Becoming a contestant or a titleholder for a pageant gives you a stage to stand on to bring a certain cause or issue to light. Participating in pageantry is about more than just a crown and sash; your voice and your actions can influence so many more people than you realize and having a sparkly hat and sash can help to amplify anything that you want to bring to light.
The way pageant platforms are implemented can take on many shapes and forms, but it’s all up to you on how you want your year as a contestant or a titleholder to be.
If you have decided to work with an organization, you could begin to volunteer your time with these organizations if it is not something that you already have a personal connection with. Volunteer work has always been at the forefront of competing in beauty pageants, so be prepared to do as much work as possible!
Having such a platform can bring meaning to your time in pageantry, and can get you started on the path to volunteerism if you weren’t involved before.
Having a pageant platform is also the perfect way to increase your marketability to the judges to ensure that you stand out amongst the dozens of contestants. Even if your platform is about another cause that another contestant champions as well, it is all about how you speak about your platform and work towards ensuring that the issue that you want to be solved will one day be solved that can differentiate you from others.
No matter what, if you create a pageant platform, make sure that you are actually working towards your goal. When a contestant creates a platform and does nothing to make a change, it can be noticeable from that they are not actually working towards their supposed goal. Your platform should be a cause that you can easily spend hours discussing and volunteering for.
Depending upon your system, you may also have to write an essay or a speech about your platform and the work you’ve put in towards achieving the end goal of your platform. This is why being passionate is absolutely necessary.
Competing in pageants is more than just being a beautiful face, it’s about being a representative for your community and having a platform can help you achieve just that.
Generally speaking, there are as many potential pageant platform ideas as there are people on the planet, as well as human experiences and experiences that motivate us. It truly is endless! Choosing a platform is something that you should really take some time to explore. And, you may find that you change your mind a few times about your platform. That is totally normal, and it’s ok.
Some people know immediately what they want to do for their pageant platform, and others need to do some soul searching first. In fact, the majority of contestants go through a period of looking into different platform ideas, asking themselves a lot of questions about what the feel most motivated to change in the world. Because that is what it really boils down to.
Your platform is your cause or mission, not the name of the charity affiliated with your cause or mission.
Your platform is the foundation of your service work (whatever that looks like) and it’s the cornerstone of your strategic marketing campaign, so what you choose is of the utmost importance.
Choosing the right pageant platform is integral to how you can market yourself and begin to make a true difference in your community throughout your time as a contender for the title that you are pursuing.
Choosing the right platform is about doing soul searching to figure out what you want to put your time and effort into. Just by taking a quick glance through your life and your own personal struggles, familial struggles, or the struggles of your neighborhood, you can find so much inspiration for creating the perfect pageant platform. The most important aspect of the platform is to be able to go out into the world and inspire with actions as well as words. Being able to translate your platform into an activity that you can inspire others to do helps to really get your message across and show that you are willing to work toward a positive outcome for your platform.