The Nexus

Tim Chu
Ashley Twomey (11) prepares her hair and makeup for an upcoming pageant. Twomey currently holds the title of Miss Teen San Diego County.

As she stepped out on stage, the first thing Ashley Twomey (11) worried about was the fluidity of her walk.

Alright, this is it.

Suddenly, the bright lights and the critical silence of the judges were no longer important as the butterflies in her stomach stopped fluttering.

This is me.

Twomey was among 166 delegates who vied for the title of Miss Teenage California in a pageant hosted in Los Angeles, April 17-19.

Initially, Twomey signed up for scholarship purposes. Looking back, however, she said that the experience surpassed the monetary award.

“It was most rewarding to meet different girls from all walks of life,” Twomey said. “They were girls who came together to honor the fact that we are all young women trying to pursue greatness.”

Twomey said that the most memorable part of her first pageant experience was not the competition itself, but the process she underwent to participate in it.

Twomey first went through a local selection process by submitting a comprehensive application that consisted of a 20-page essay, letters of recommendations and a lengthy résumé. Out of 3,000 applicants, Twomey received the title of Miss Teen San Diego County.

“I had never done this before, so when I found out that I got [the title], I was really excited,” Twomey said.

But the work didn’t stop there.

Twomey then needed to find sponsors, prepare a platform detailing her goals in the community and work on a personal speech for the state pageant. Instead of going out with friends, Twomey spent hours practicing and revising. She also met with a pageant consultant to teach her how to talk the talk and walk the walk.

“It was weird at first to learn how to walk,” Twomey said. “But it’s really complicated. You have to make sure your arms are in the right place. You have to look poised but natural at the same time, all while managing with 5-inch heels.”

Twomey said that the prep she did right before the pageant was just as time-intensive.

“It took two hours to get my hair style in order and perfect my make-up,” she said. “It even took time to just put on my evening gown because that dress was really heavy — I needed two people just to carry it in for me.”

Though Twomey advanced no further than the Top 30, she said that everything she gained from the experience was well worth the effort.

“I put myself through a rigorous schedule, but if there’s one thing I learned from this pageant, it was that if you really want to strive for a goal, you have to have a game plan and work toward it on a regular basis,” Twomey said. “It’s all about time management and staying focused.”

Twomey felt that being in the pageant was special, something more than just glam and glitz.

“I was a part of an event that showcases and honors women’s achievements in today’s society,” she said. “It wasn’t about beauty, but about what the girls accomplished.”

During pageant rehearsals, Twomey made close friends with the competing girls, many of whom had prior experience in pageants. She said that meeting these pageant girls in person is very different from what people see on TV.

“[On TV], these girls look like perfect, plastic Barbies,” she said. “But backstage, I saw these girls with their hair in curlers and their make-up half done. They are human just like the rest of us. Their flaws are what make them so interesting.”

More importantly, Twomey saw the other side of the pageant girls: dedication to hard work and passion for giving back charitably.

“They were phenomenal activists who reminded me about how many people need help and how many charities are out there,” Twomey said.

Twomey’s own platform consisted of implementing performing arts programs in public and private schools throughout California in order to allow children to flourish and exercise their imagination.

Working on her platform also helped Twomey learn about herself as a person.

“I have never before had to look at myself and ask ‘What do you, as Ashley, believe and stand for?’” Twomey said. “I gave a part of myself so that people could see me. There’s a kind of inner peace that comes from that. I gained a focus, internally, on my own moral grounds and what I believe in personally.”

In the future, Twomey said she hopes to participate in more pageants because it provides a great confidence boost and the chance to meet new people.

“[Being in the Miss Teenage California] pageant made me see a beauty that I haven’t ever seen before,” she said. “Not just external beauty, but the internal. In the end, that’s what it’s all about.”