Beauty Tips

I Was a Beauty Queen for a Day

Think beauty pageants are all fluff and glitter? We went behind the scenes to find out how Miss Universe hopefuls really prepare

by Hayley Mason | 1 COMMENT

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On November 9, nearly 90 women from across the globe will compete for the title of Miss Universe 2013 live from Moscow, Russia.

Every year, beauty pageants stir up a lot of talk and controversy. There are those who believe pageant queens are furthering themselves, promoting meaningful platforms and representing their countries on a world stage. And then there's the other camp that says pageants go against everything feminism is about. When two of the three categories the women compete in are "evening gown" and "swimwear," it's hard to not agree. (Clearly, I haven't quite come to see the relationship between strutting around in a bikini and heels and self-betterment.)

So when the idea got tossed out at an editor's meeting to actually go to a "pageant bootcamp" and see what it really takes to get ready to compete for the crown, I jumped at the chance. I went to see Holly Allen, who held the title of Miss Wyoming when she competed in Miss USA 2012, at Chic Secret Image Management and Pageant Preparation for a full lesson on what it takes to get pageant ready. And guess what: it wasn't all pretty.

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With the upcoming Miss Universe beauty pageant just days away, our editor took to the task to see what beauty pageant queens really do to become crown-worthy. From following the diet and workouts to learning insider tricks, we found out it's harder than it looks.