Junior Miss Pageant Contest 2001 ((full)) -

Brittany said her freckles. Savannah said her imagination. Mary Beth said her pet iguana, which got a laugh.

“You were better,” Lily said.

“I love… that I’m still figuring it out,” Lily said finally. Her voice cracked. “I don’t know who I am yet. But I think that’s okay.” junior miss pageant contest 2001

The first cut came after the physical fitness segment—a brisk walk in matching tank tops and bike shorts. Five girls were eliminated. They cried into their mothers’ blouses. Lily stayed calm. She had the posture of a soldier. Brittany said her freckles

The summer of 2001 smelled like hairspray and chlorine bleach. Backstage at the Memorial Civic Auditorium, twenty-seven girls aged eight to twelve buzzed like a nest of glittering hornets. Mothers wielded curling irons like weapons, and the air was thick with the sweet, cloying scent of nervous sweat and Juicy Fruit gum. “You were better,” Lily said