This weekend I had a chat with the
reigning Ms Sweethearts, BroadwayGirl1, to find out what her experience has been
like so far. The interview took place on
the Sweethearts Jazz Club, Ballroom floor.
There’s much more to beauty
pageants than waving and smiling, or at least there should be.
Pageant contestants
are often derided for being “cookie cut outs.” They often sport similar
looks, recurring hairstyles and predictable dresses. But the urge to conform is not unique to
beauty pageants. In any endeavour, especially judged competitions, it’s a
common trap to fall into what you think is
the pre-ordained mould of a winner. The long and the short of it is just be
yourself, whether you are preparing for a pageant or just generally in life.
Broadway hails from
the U.S. and is a full time student in college, finishing a degree in music. She
was taking a semester of an English class to fulfil her general Ed credits, and
the professor who loved talking about electronics and technology gave the class
an assignment which was to create a SL account and to explore one of the sims,
and to observe the detail and to give a an overall impression of what they
thought about it. She never left….
The Ballroom
interview follows:
LM: What was your
rationale for entering the Miss Sweethearts Pageant?
Broadway: My reason for entering the Ms Sweethearts
pageant was to prove to myself that I can do it. To have courage to do it. It
was for the women who were bullied when they were little and were always put
down. I did it for them, my family, my friends and for myself.
LM: What's the best
part of being Ms Sweethearts?
Broadway: I believe that there is more than just one
best part of being Ms. Sweethearts. However, my favourite part of being Ms
Sweethearts is representing a club that I call home, its owners and the people
that have become my family. Also, I am looking forward to fundraising for the
charities that Sweethearts has chosen to participate in.
LM: When you were
going through the pageant process, was the competition tough?
Broadway: The
pageant process itself was difficult because it challenged me to be the best
that I could be. The competition between the other pageant contestants was very
difficult because each girl had something special and unique that they brought
to the pageant. Everyone was on their A game.
LM: What would be
the message you'd like to send to the hopefuls of future pageants?
Broadway: The
message that I would send to the hopefuls of the future pageant would be that
even though the journey may seem long, the learning experience is priceless.
Regardless of the outcome, you will gain confidence and poise that will impact
your SL as well as your RL. With that being said, we are all worthwhile women
and you are all winners.
LM: What has been
the most memorable day you've had so far, as Ms. Sweethearts?
Broadway: It would
be hard to choose just one memorable day so far as Ms. Sweethearts, I feel that
every day since I won Ms. Sweethearts has been memorable.
LM: Has your title
in SL affected your RL in anyway?
Broadway: My title
in SL has affected my RL in many ways. For example, one way was that this title
made me more a confident person. I feel more confident in myself knowing that I
can achieve anything as long as I work hard for it and set my mind to it.
LM: Do people treat
you any different now that you are Ms. Sweethearts?
Broadway: No one
has treated me differently and I hope that they never do because I am the same
person that I was before I won the crown. I still believe in respecting people
and treating them with kindness
LM: Now that you're
Ms Sweethearts, how do you think you can help Sweethearts?
Broadways: I think that I can help Sweethearts by always
supporting and being available in participating in Charities and events. Making
sure that Sweethearts reaches new all-time high goals.
LM: What is your goal as Ms Sweethearts?
Broadway: My goal
as Ms. Sweethearts is to keep Sweethearts the best club in Second Life.
Sweethearts has the reputation of making everyone feel comfortable and at home
and I would like to continue that reputation and make Sweethearts a more
memorable club.
LM: What was the
live Crowning like?
Broadway: The live crowning was very emotional and very
memorable to me. The crowning and the pageant is a moment that I will never
forget as long as I live. I believe that any of us could have won, so I was and
still am, honoured to be chosen as Ms. Sweethearts.
The floor was
opened to questions:
Charmi Warbain
asked : What are the key things to become Ms Sweethearts?
Broadway: Thank you for asking that question Charmi the
key things to become Ms Sweethearts is the be confident in yourself, always be
respectful and most of all always be yourself, never change who you are.
NikkiEmma Eyre
asked: when you win such an event - people look up to you as a role model - how
do you feel about that?
Broadway: :) Sweethearts
means a lot to me. I started coming here my second week of SL. I love being
here and every time I come in here, I'm home and I'm happy. So as a role model
I want people to see that and I reiterate, always be yourself, never change who
you are.
Home is where the
heart is …. Sweethearts Jazz Club your home away from home.
