This blog puts a new spin on the popular saying; 'Been there done that'. Here is how my story went.
"Never seen that, never been there and/or been that, definitely never done that. But somehow I got 'that' T-Shirt." (Revised) Chioma Onwudiwe
Ever had the feeling 'this' has happened before? Different day, different scenario but the very same concept. I was re-thinking something I had observed not too long ago, and I had hoped that the person involved would not be a victim of a camouflaged agenda. Here's why;
It was a very glamorous and glitzy affair to watch. Cars and a few chartered buses, pulling in at the 5 star hotel driveway. Families chattering away and 'stage parents' calling the shots as always. I was one of the bus people. I had gotten on with another girl at PENN Station. She was just as nervous as I was, even though this would be her 11th pageant(This was my first ever). She had started when she was just 5 years old. Her mother was a former beauty queen, and would come in for the evening gown grande-finale. This particular State level competition was her 2nd time around. So why was she nervous, you might ask? There were a lot of high-profile guests and judges involved.
Each pageant of this level is a huge investment and lots of hard work. Moreover if you have been preparing for this your whole life, you would love to get ahead. At this level, you were in it to win it. You were not in it because your friends thought you should be in it, or you were sponsored to be in it. This was a career and you needed to take it seriously! Well someone forgot to send me that memo. There I was floating around like 'Alice in wonderland', admiring everybody and their grandmother. Now that I look back, and knowing what I know now. They must have thought I lost my marbles, as I wished every one well and helped when I could.
In the frenzy of the hotel lobby registration, my bus mate and I were separated. We had planned to be room mates. I desperately searched for my fellow Manhattanite, but to no avail. There would be about 40 contestants that weekend and we (the contestants) would be assigned two girls to a room. Since we did not know each other prior to being at the State Pageant, it felt good that we spent about 5 hours in the upstate bound bus trip getting to know one other. As I dragged my six suitcases to the front desk (Don't judge; some girls had nine!). I mean one girl had a suitcase for curlers, rollers and dryers alone. This was a 5 Star hotel. They had dryers, but 'show biz' girls do not take chances.
In the midst of my lobby wonder and reverie, a very pretty contestant approached me. She had amazing poise and confidence for a young girl. You could not help but notice. Like my bus mate, she had been doing pageants for most of her life. This would be her last chance, she said. She was one of the oldest, she was 23 years old! She would later tell me that if she did not win this time, it would be a great loss. She could have easily won, as she was strikingly beautiful and very experienced. But then again so were her fellow competitors. She looked like she was on a mission. I can now confidently call that mission; (operation: eliminate the threat). She asked me to be her roommate.
All the contestants were supposed to meet the pageant officials later that evening. We would check-in, settle-in and then go have dinner. Then at dinner we would be briefed about all that would happen that weekend. We had to do a dance show, press interviews, photo-ops and the pageant showcase itself. It was one busy, exhausting but exhilarating weekend. Never-the-less, we were honored and happy to be there. More so it would be the launching of many a show business careers. In fact as I write this, I know two girls that were there that are quite well known now.
My roommate suggested we exchange gifts to break the ice and prepare to be partners all weekend long. I was excited to have made a friend. We could not help each other style our different hair types, but we could at least practice the runway together. I gave her a photo album to hoard her memories and she handed me a T-shirt with a green drawing in front of it. I meant to ask what the strange thing in front was, but my very young and naive brain remembered learning; 'not to look a gift horse in the mouth'. She grabbed the album as we headed out for orientation. I wore the T-shirt...
Fast-forward, a couple of years later. A couple were being ridiculed and harassed on the internet for donning a pair of socks with a green drawing on their 8 months old baby. I wondered what the world had come to. As I read the article, I saw the drawing. It was the same green drawing on the T-shirt that my so called pageant friend gave me. It was the drawing of a 'Marijuana plant'.
So there was my naive, innocent and clueless self meeting and greeting pageant officials, agents, model scouts, casting directors with the picture of a 'marijuana plant' on my chest!!
And no my roommate did not win the pageant. She was very devastated though. Poor thing.
