Stereotypical

There is a stereotypical pageant girl, and I am her.

I'm not talking about the stereotype that is projected in movies like “Little Miss Sunshine” or shows like “Honey Boo Boo” and "Toddlers and Tiaras". I'm not talking about the stereotype of the girls who wear "flippers", who do the pout-face, who are practically orange from their spray tan, or who waltz around in a bikini and have an eating disorder. There's this idea that beauty queens are stupid - that we are there to look at and not be heard. There is a notion that we have a lack of direction in life, a lack of education, a lack of passion and ambition and drive. The stereotype is that we are plastic, hollow dolls.

But again, that's not the stereotype I'm talking about.

I am talking about the stereotypical pageant girl that gives herself to others, who has a passion for her platform, who enjoys looking nice and presenting herself in a professional manner, who is eloquent in her speech and confident in her character.

I have met so many more women who match this definition than the previous one.

I am part of a group of women who fight for what we believe in. We all have a common goal to win a crown but that crown is a platform for one of us each year to take out into the world and be a beacon for a cause we care about. Each woman competing in the Miss Kansas pageant has a personal platform that she supports and advocates for. We are all advocates for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. This year, CMNH has surpassed $5 billion in total fundraising. I can say that I was a part of that.

We are all scholars. I am pursuing a degree in Art Education with the dream of being a high school art teacher. But I have competed with women who will be lawyers, congresswomen, chiropractors, professional dancers, and businesswomen (not to mention many other careers). The scholarships awarded in the pageants we compete in propel us through our education so that we can follow our dreams and make an impact on this world we inhabit.

Every woman who will grace the stage in a beautiful evening gown on June 5, 6 and 7 has gone through something incredible. Each one of us has a story and something to share. There is so much more to what we do than what you see onstage. Three nights onstage is what you see. What we do is 365 days of service, hard work, and discipline - serving our communities and growing as people in countless areas of lives.

The people I have come in contact with through the Miss America Organization are staples in who I have become because of the things I have learned from them and with them. I have found several role models, had incredible mentors and made true friends.

We need to stop associating pageants with the negatives and start associating them with the positives because these are the women that will truly change the world.

I want you to know that there is a stereotypical pageant girl and she can begin to be described with four words: style, scholarship, service and success.

I am a stereotypical pageant girl and I am more than what you see.

- Annika Wooton

Miss Butler County 2014