Pageantry and Photography: An inkling

Folks...Ms. Orange Walk 2011-12 is no other than Ms. Negril Crawford. Congratulations! The same level of congratulations go out also to Grisel, Stephanie, Amanda, Angeli and Daudling. You all have the world in front of you. I am sure that you will take your fair bite and use the energy to do good. All this is in addition to your God given talents.

A thought here, just maybe, men cannot do two things: give birth and look sweet as a pageant contestant.

As I browse through the Ms. Orange Walk Facebook page I was awestruck and doused by the reality of a few simpletons that still exist out there in our lil Belize and Orange Walk. I like to say: "Obama is president already give it a rest." But hey, the majority of the audience cheered at the announcement of the winner. I was there! It was a beautiful and sweet ring of approval. The cheers had it mein....the jeers were swallowed....whole.

There was a book published some time ago called Heavenly Belize. I will use their premise to allege that this past Saturday September 3, 2011 we did have that: Heavenly Belize at the Orange Walk Multipurpose Complex. Our girls displayed controlled extravagance and splendour so beyond their years. In our lands abroad this would have been teen pageant but our contestants were so up to the moment.

Gallantry in battle for men is definitely opaqued by pageantry. Give me peace any day. I so love the amity that is seen at these pageants where the girls get to compete yet dance with each other some hours later to the wee of the morning. Our men are often involved in 'machoistic' fights and arguments at the end of many a football game, just to name one sport.

A pageant nonetheless is competition par excellence. The girls want to 'beat' the others yet know and show with the sweetest of smiles that at the finale only one will wear the crown. The candidate that struts the stage with majesty, dresses impeccably, speaks with clarity, and oozes confidence will invariably sway the crowd and, often, this, also means, influencing the scores of the judges.

I like to look at it this way. It would have been great if Ms. Orange Walk would be a microcosm of Orange Walk girls...like a person representative of them all. But I may be going against the grain. Many times at a pageant the most photogenic, most congenial, friendliest, or most articulate gives way to most confident and the best showgirl. Mind you... the best showgirl will also have a little of the other traits yet she is not necessarily the most amicable. How can I say this? I don't. I just saw, for example, Miss Amity not placing in the top three at this pageant.

Photographers are truly in heaven at these pageants. I have been one to ask the question, "Who took that picture?" For me it is not enough to view the rolling hills, the white snow, the scintillating sunrise, the majestic ocean, or the gorgeous women. The photographer that glues their eyes to the eyepiece to get that 'best shot ever' is an artist in his/her own right. At the pageant they were drooling.... I saw it. Well maybe not exactly. ;)

Orange Walkeños to cap off my emotions here let me end with exposing the heart in this. The Orange Walk Cancer Support Group will be benefiting from this event as they already have with the time volunteered by the contestants. People suffering from this scourge to humankind will benefit somehow from any funds obtained. EVERYONE join this fight. It is an honorable one. We know it is. Just stop procrastinating and help! The time to do so is NOW!

Thanks to Michael R. Vasquez and AALAWI Productions