I have done pageants for four years, winning titles such as Miss Congeniality and Miss Teen Texas. When most people see the crown, they think of airheaded, superficial girls, but in reality we are strong women with hopes to change the world. The time I spent in pageants were some of the best years of my life. It gave me volunteer opportunities and lifelong friendships. Like most of my sister queens, I hold the Miss America Pageant as one of the most coveted nights of pageantry. I adore watching these brilliant women take the stage and exemplify elegance, grace and confidence. They are role models to young girls across the country. Since the Miss America Organization recently underwent changes, many girls have been contemplating the program. Anyone can change the world, but the crown and sash act as a microphone for empowering girls to spread their platform.

As of Jun. 5, the Miss America Organization made some pretty drastic changes, one of which being that they will no longer be calling it a pageant. It is now to be referred to as a contest. Another change was to do away with the swimsuit portion of competition. And the change that most people are upset about is to the formal wear portion. Now, instead of wearing the extravagant gowns, contestants are asked to wear whatever they feel comfortable in. To people who have never walked the pageants stage, these changes sound meaningless and maybe even for good, but I see them as an end of an era.

The Miss America Organization began as a "Bathing Beauty" contest in the 1920s. This is how it started. People think the practice of holding a swimsuit portion is outdated, but it stands for the tradition of the organization. Not only that, but there is so much hard work that contestants go through to get themselves into tiptop shape. They strive and promote a healthy lifestyle. No, you do not have to be a size two to be healthy and not all of the girls are. That portion of competition is judged on how confident a woman is with her body. Confidence is something we should be teaching all young girls nowadays.

The name change is not a huge deal, but it does separate it from other pageants. So many little girls dream of winning the crown and sash and work hard in pageants to train for when that day comes. It is not another pageant now. It is a contest. According to the Merriman-Webster dictionary definition, a contest is an event in which people compete for supremacy. I do not think little girls should go into a pageant seeking "supremacy." Pageants are so much more than just achieving a title, it is a family of girls who encourage each other to grow into graceful young women.

Now the change to formal wear was a devastating blow for me. This competition was always a struggle for me. I felt awkward up on the stage, walking around in a dress that I felt like was too good for me. When I would get that dressed up, I felt like I was unworthy of being a queen. However, once I got off of that stage, it was one of my proudest moments. I could realize that I was deserving. I was elegant. I was as beautiful as the dress I had worn. It was a growing experience for me and my development. I do not think this part of competition was made to make contestants feel comfortable. It was there to push them into the woman they are destined to be.

I'll take a line from the movie that pops into everyone's head when pageantry comes up, "Miss Congeniality." "It is not a beauty pageant, it is a scholarship program." Pageants are about so much more than beauty, and yet so many people still regard them as sexist. It has evolved more than people know, when now, it takes more than just a pretty face to wear the crown. That pretty face is worthless if there are no brains to back it up. The changes that the Miss America Organization has made will go into effect at the pageant in September. Until then, I won't really know how these changes will impact the world of pageantry, but I do know that the organization has this one chance to make sure these changes will make a difference for the better.