industry guide

Pageantry is the most professional publication in the pageant category. Unlike many other pageant magazines, it focuses mostly on Teen, Miss, Ms. and Mrs. pageants -- not local-level glitz filled pageants for kids that have earned such a bad name in recent years.

For those who are pageant fans, it is excellent for staying up on who has done what recently and who is winning and placing in the state and national level contests.

For those who compete its most valuable resource may be the advertisements that let competitors know about the range of pageants out there. For the uninitiated there are live pageants, mail-in pageants, photo contests, modeling contests, talent contests, beauty pageants and achievement pageants just to name a few. I am a current local and state title holder in an achievement pageant (that means we're only judged on essays, interviews and a resume of our career, academic and personal achievements).

The publication often features interviews with major national title holders (such as Miss America or Miss USA) and covers international pageants and specialty population pageants (Miss Deaf America, Miss Wheelchair America) as well.

Pageantry Magazine also has a number of advice articles on pageant competition that range in quality. I've found their pieces on pageant stage makeup to be very useful and some of their other pieces about the psychology of winning to be insightful. Their interviewing tips are also useful.

Other advice articles I find less meaningful and even offensive -- I don't believe women should be getting plastic surgery to aid competition results, for example (and many national pageants agree as bans on padding are lifted), but that is something that is often addressed in the magazine.

Too many of the pieces are often geared towards teens, talking about Prom and stuff like that. But the reality is most competitors are probably between 18 and 24 (the oldest you can be in Miss America), and that shows in their coverage. Even so, this is the only magazine on the market with professional quality production and good solid information on adult pageantry. If you enjoy competition or are looking to compete, you should probably pick this up at least once a year.