Pageants are not just an activity, they are life.
Sophomore Ruby Martin’s mother inspired her new hobby.
“My mom used to direct a local pageant for Miss Indiana, the preliminary pageant to Miss America, so I grew up in the pageant world my whole life. It wasn’t until 2021 that I discovered I wanted to participate in this instead of just watching it from the audience. So, we found a coach and worked virtually for months until my first pageant in July of 2021 with National American Miss,” Martin said.
A new interest led her to the unexpected.
“In general, I think at the time I was much more interested in modeling than anything. But after my first time competing, I realized it was about a lot more than that. It was about public speaking and community service, and I quickly realized I was much more into that than just strutting down a runway. I looked at all the girls who won and saw that that’s what they truly care about too,” Martin said.
Taking that leap was her first step to success.
“I made my platform on Community Service Initiative ‘Adoption Jewels: Adoption and Foster Care Awareness.’ To this day, it is my CSI that keeps me going. Of course, the crown, sash, and year of memories are what I’m hoping for, but it’s the community service that keeps me going,” Martin said.
Pageants are not all about the beauty aspect of life.
“I’ve become a better public speaker more than anything. At my NAM state pageant, you have to give a 30-second speech about yourself to the judges and audience. At Nationals, it’s one minute. And it’s not just like Hi, my name is ___, I’m from ___, and I want to be ___. You have to tell a story and make every extracurricular or hobby fit perfectly like a Jenga puzzle. You have to address all of the six plus judges with your eyes, then address the audience filled with families and friends, not exceed the time limit, and let your personality shine through. While it was very difficult for me to do at the beginning, now it’s very easy. At my last public speaking event, there were over 100 people present, and I was barely nervous. Without competing in pageants, I don’t think I could even address 50,” Martin said.
Martin wants to inspire other people to do what they love.
“Know who you are and what you’re passionate about. A lot of pageants don’t allow makeup for people 15 and under, or if they do, they have strict rules about it. No slits in your dress, no hair extensions or fake teeth, and no cupcake dresses like the ones you see on Toddlers and Tiaras. You also have a six plus minute interview with at least five judges worth at least 40 percent of your final score, so you have to be in tune with yourself and confident because there’s nowhere you can hide. But most of all, just go for it. There are plenty of resources for people interested on YouTube, Instagram, or the pageant’s website. You can also reach out to me or others in the pageant field, and we’d be happy to help” Martin said.
People can be rude on the internet, but the way others respond is what makes a difference.
“There’s a lot of rude people out there, and that’s hard in every aspect of life no matter what you’re doing or where you are. On Instagram alone, I have over 2,000 followers and an average of 3,000 views on each post. I get stereotyped a lot in comments about how her life must be perfect, she must be rich or look at how she reacted, that was way over the top. Spoiler alert: I’m nowhere near being perfect or rich, but I will admit that I can be very dramatic or sarcastic sometimes. I’ve also received a lot of racist comments, and you’ve got to just delete it, laugh it off, and try your hardest not to let it go to your head. But none of the bad things make me want to stop. It makes me want to keep going so I can prove them all wrong,” Martin said.
It is okay not to be the most accomplished in the pageant community.
“When I competed at MHSA (Miss High School America) back in June of 2024, we were sitting at a banquet sharing our favorite stories. One of the girls across from us shared that not only was she learning how to be a pilot and has flown on her own, but she was also a best-selling author with Amazon and had published three books in two years. I’ve never felt so unaccomplished in my life as I did in that moment,” Martin said.
