Another Blog about Miss Teen South Carolina

When I was growing up, beauty contests were all about beauty. Brains weren’t needed or required. Even good personalities weren’t that high on the list so to make up for those with fantastic personalities, awards were given for Miss Congeniality (and you thought it was just a movie).

I was almost disappointed when it became a big deal that the public know that these contests weren’t just for the beauties, but also for those who were smart and had high ambitions. I sort of stopped watching at that point because I could pick the one who was the prettiest and it was harder to figure out who had it all.

Well, the Teen Miss U.S.A. the other night made me realize why the intelligence and how one presents themselves is so important. I had the t.v. on the channel but was in the middle of changing dvd’s to watch. I started watching at exactly the same time that Miss South Carolina, Lauren Caitlin Upton, was beginning to answer her question given to her by one of the judges. I admit, I wasn’t really paying much attention, but the more she spoke, the more I sat there in total disbelief. I figured it was me so I rewound it to see and hear it again. Did Mario almost seem to be wanting to laugh but couldn’t?

I watched it again but I was still wondering what was going on. Was it my t.v.? I went ahead and watched the other girls answer their questions. I wasn’t going to leave the t.v. at this point. The others seemed okay. Then I watched each of the five take their final pose. Miss South Carolina was definitely the most attractive (to me), but I couldn’t get that answer out of my mind … such as. I needed to know if she was going to win.

She didn’t – as we know now. But thanks to YouTube, she’s now having her 15 minutes of fame – and not for the right reason. I feel so badly for her. It’s so easy for others to laugh at the perils of others. And it’s not just a few people who see it – it’s the world. I hope she gets through it easily even though I don’t see how. There are those who will say that she doesn’t have to be smart – she’s pretty. She will succeed in life probably – no matter what she does.

Another important point – I’ve gone totally blank sometimes when someone has asked me a question. It’s not easy being in front of such a huge audience, at home and in person. Also this was very important to her so she struggled to give a brilliant answer. Perhaps asking to have the question repeated would have been better.

I hope this blows over quickly (not easy with YouTube and the internet) and that she can laugh at too . . . someday. From the other commentaries I’ve been reading, this may be spotlighting education and whether our children are learning all they need to learn.

Good luck Lauren Caitlin Upton!