When I was 12 years old I was completely and totally insecure. Convinced by my peers I was ugly and stupid, I would have rather died a slow torturous death than to walk on a stage knowing others are judging me. This is just one more thing that amazes me about her. She doesn’t see it as they are judging her as a person, only by the requirements of the pageant. Dress, check. Hair, check. Smile, check. Beauty pageants scare the living daylights out of me. Again, thanks to my childhood peers, I struggle with the term beauty. I can barely look at myself in the mirror for fear that all the times I was told how NOT beautiful I was will be confirmed through my eyes. It’s lame, I am aware of this, but “words” did hurt me (thanks to all the other insecure people who tagged me at a young age). I was petrified for her when she decided to do pageants because of my own insecurity. What would this do to her if she didn’t win? Will she know that she is beautiful without a crown? Will she know that we are all proud of her and love her regardless of her title? I did not want her to be as insecure as I was at her age.
Gracie is the real deal though. She does not want to hurt anyone’s feelings…. EVER! She genuinely wants to help others, as long as it’s not with cleaning the dishes. She still sees the good in the world. Although she may care what others think about her… it’s more about who she is other than what she looks like. She doesn’t see not being titled “Queen” as a loss to her but a joy for the winner. She “loses” soooooo gracefully and she is competitive! Now mind you, the child has yet to go home without a crown from a pageant. She is crowned for People’s Choice, Miss Sweetheart something or another and I’m sure there are other titles she has received. Maybe I should ask her Mom what those titles all are and write that up for you. I have no idea what most of these things mean.
As I have watched her on stage hearing others names called out for placements, I stalk her. I watch her every move. It blows me away how composed she is. SHE IS 12 YEARS OLD!!! She has a maturity that makes a lot of 40 year old men & women look like they belong on a playground. I have watched some of her pageant buddies to see the difference in personality. They don’t hold their composure as well. I would say that I am biased because Gracie is my niece, but it is not biased. It is an observant fact… there are those that lose and show that they cannot deal with let downs very easily. There are those that understand it just wasn’t their time. She is the latter.
Her time did come though. Recently, she was accepted & performed in the Miss Pre-Teen Atlanta pageant and she left that pageant with the title of Miss Pre-Teen Atlanta 2013. I think we are all in shock and awe of her. She is going to the Nationals that will be held in Orlando, FL in December. How exciting is that?! I can’t wait to go and support her as she takes her pageantry to another level.
Beauty pageants aren’t what we always think they are. They are not based on an outer beauty but on a grander scale. I love that pageants are focusing on the whole person instead of the outer portion. Gracie has gotten involved a lot more in our community than she ever would have without pageants. It has opened her eyes to a world and a people different than her and her upbringing. It has opened her heart to want to do more and help others. I have no doubt in my mind she has something up her sleeve already to end hunger. I bet she would be the one to solve this problem!
It’s funny to me that it is taking my 12 year old niece to show me that anything is truly possible if you really want it bad enough, beauty is only skin deep, and that being who God made you is perfectly okay. You do not have to conform yourself to fit the world in order to find your place in the world. You need to focus on the good things of this life and have compassion to bring light to those living in the dark instead of focusing on the bad. She has taken her fair share of ugliness in this world, even from some of her friends, but she holds her head high not because she has a crown to place on her head. It’s because she knows that the one with the crown on His head made her as perfect as He could and she is down with that. She is rocking that knowledge all the way to Nationals!
I am a very proud Aunt of this precious child. Gracie has a very special place in my heart. Sometimes it is hard for me to watch her go from the little girl jumping on my bed to the young woman she is becoming. Watch out world!!! Here comes Gracie!
If you would like to help Gracie reach the Nationals with a corporate sponsorship or fundraiser opportunity, please contact Beth Hansen by phone: 770.362.4578. Thank you!!
