Prepare For a Pageant at Your Corporate Job
Preparing for a pageant is definitely a time commitment. And with a corporate office 9-5 job, it may feel daunting to practice while you need to focus on the work that is paying for pageants in the first place. My five years in a corporate job I found ways to practice for my pageants within the workplace. It turned out to be better than separating pageant practice from work because I started to implement practices I would want to do as a titleholder into my everyday life.
If you’re training for a pageant, or any activity, you probably go once a week to training, but it is most ideal to practice everyday. This reminds me of what my piano teacher told me as a kid – I needed to practice what I learned before I saw her for the next class! So training for pageants at your routine job will help develop your muscle memory. If you don’t feel comfortable turning your cubicle into a runway, do not fret! These tips are here to make subtle enhancements to your work day.
Posture – this is the most underrated part of pageant presentation that you need to practice! If you can, get the back arch support cushions in your office chair to remind you to sit up straight. Everywhere you walk, pretend a string is being pulled from the top of your head. Or you have a tiara that will fall if you do not keep your head and body up. Or something I’d do at home, tape a ruler on the back of a sports bra to avoid slouching. This will actually exude confidence also in corporate meetings, so it’s also a good pageant skill to apply to life.
Wear practice heels – At my corporate office, you had to dress appropriate and professional, but you were not expected to look glamorous. I had an old pair of 5 inch high heels and the material was ripping apart, but it had a sturdy ankle strap for me to comfortably walk around everywhere. I would wear longer wide leg pants to cover the wear of the heel. I usually practiced my pageant walk from my desk on my way to the bathroom or to fill my water bottle, whispering in my head to check my posture.
Do your hair and makeup – it’s important to practice your hair and makeup before a pageant even if you hire a hair and makeup artist, because there might be a time when they cannot be there for you to touch up and fix it. Plus, most pageants start early in the morning. People get their hair and makeup done anywhere from 3-5 AM so they are in full glam all day. I’m not saying you need to look like Barbie on your way to work, but practice different hair styling techniques, or new makeup tricks you’ve been wanting to try to see if it lasts the work day and can be good for your pageant.
Schedule workout sessions before and after – If you’re training for a swimsuit or fitness competition and need to go to the gym, it makes sense to schedule it immediately before or after the pageant. Another time saver, wear your gym clothes inside your work attire and always have your sneakers and towel in the car. This way, you don’t have to take time changing into your gym clothes right after work. It started to be a party trick with my coworkers and when I raised my slacks and they saw a pair of leggings.
Bring your meal prep and office snacks in the kitchen (especially with temptations). My go-to snacks were always celery and PB2, baby carrots, bell peppers, and zucchinis with hummus, I liked having things with a crunch because it kept me alert throughout the work day.
When talking to your boss or colleagues, get to the point, practice like interview. Spend more time listening to the answer, instead of immediately answering your first thought so it doesn’t become a ramble. In meetings sit tall, pay attention, practice avoiding filler words by speaking slowly.
