Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Pageant Pay-back... and Payment

Yesterday I spent a few hours shopping at Cabela’s in Dundee Michigan with my boyfriend, Loren. If you’re not familiar, Cabela’s is a hunting/camping/fishing mecca! It’s as large as a Meijer, complete with a food court that serves bison, elk and ostridge. (I only had a coffee.)

While I was a fish out of water in my sundress and heels, I didn’t mind. I figure it’s my due diligence considering all the pageant shopping trips he’s gone on and all the pageants he’s sat through for me. I realize, I am still deep in debt!

Once you get used to all the dead animals staring at you in a place like Cabela’s there are a few things to be learned. A. Unlike regular clothes, guys don’t whine about trying on hunting gear… I think mainly because they can do it without going to a dressing room. But more importantly, B. pageants are really not that outlandish in comparison to other passions.

The expense surrounding pageants gets a very bad rap, even by its own fans. It’s hard for a lot of people to fathom spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on fancy garments that can only be worn onstage. As an avid bargain shopper, my big pageant purchases are hard for me to swallow, and when someone else foots the bill for me, I feel tremendous guilt. I've always felt terrible about the cost of my parent’s hotel and tickets for Miss Ohio week too! While we’re paid back in valuable experiences, it’s really one giant expense, and sadly not all women make a “profit” with scholarship money.

But, in comparison to hobbies like hunting, boating, showing horses, competitively dancing, etc… pageants can actually be quite cheap! Loren bought special hunting socks for $20, which totally justified my $20 interview hosiery that I nearly had a coronary over! I saw single pieces of hunting apparel for $400; I could find several amazing cocktail dresses for that price!

The finer details of pageants may seem petty to some, like finding the perfect shoes, or spending $50 on a pair of earrings… but yesterday we spent fifteen minutes in the glove isle because deer might hear the Velcro finger flap, but the pair with a silent magnet was too bulky to maneuver the bow and arrow with and it’s silly to buy the best glove without the flap, only to cut the finger tips off!… I’m not making fun of Loren; quite the opposite, I get it! I just wish the rest of the world would.

To get to the bigger picture, no matter what your passion, or hobby, or competitive event, there are expenses and niceties. So the next time you hear someone saying pageants are unreasonable and lavish, by asking enough questions about them, you’ll surely find their indulgence!

2 comments:

  1. Abby,

    I LOVED THIS!!!! This is funny and so true at the same time. As I write this, I'm headed to Findlay next weekend to make a large investment in my next hobby (which I've been doing for about four years now) - figure-skating! The funny thing is, my husband thinks skating is cheaper than pageants....SO not true, but who's counting??? I just loved this article :)

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  2. Hi Abby,

    I forgot to sign my name last time -

    ReplyDelete

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