Dear editor,

As a former (1992) peach swimsuit competition winner and overall first alternate, I find criticism over the bathing suits concerning. Yes, some girls have no business wearing a two-piece swimsuit, and yes, pageant suits are expensive. No, pageant coaches are not a new thing, and yes, one-piece swimsuits can be found for tall people. I think that covers most of the concerns, now my thoughts.

The Peach Pageant is a fantastic event that involves and generates money for the whole county! If you live in Chilton County, you should be proud that this event takes place in Clanton. Second, very few of you would get on that stage in front of hundreds of people and open yourself up to that kind of criticism wearing a two piece.

This pageant, like everything else, has to evolve with the changing times. In order to be a preliminary pageant they must conform. If anything, make the girls wear the same two-piece, don’t give them the option of being different. Third, if nothing else, this pageant gives these girls the self-confidence to believe in themselves. It’s not so much a win or lose, it’s the fact that they competed in a huge pageant, complete with personal interviews, on-stage interviews, swimsuit, sportswear, going around and presenting themselves to local businesses for sponsorship. If you have not competed, you would not understand the involvement this pageant requires! Two-pieces are just part of the changing times, and I’m sure they could have found a suitable cheap one-piece that would have been perfectly fine.

In 1992, the year I won, I found the one piece I wore at the Clanton Walmart. I paid $12 for it, and I am a tall girl. It can be done if you are willing to search. Many of the other girls rented or purchased their swimsuits for hundreds of dollars, and they did not win. I did with my little Walmart suit. It’s not what you spend on it or how much it covers, it is whether or not you have the confidence and poise to get up on that stage and rock it. Pageant coaches: I didn’t have one. (There were pageant coaches back then, but none that were in Clanton, or Jemison.) Be proud of this organization and the girls that choose to be a part of it. If you want to complain about something, get on someone about the sponsorship fees! While not expensive in the competitive pageant world, it is expensive for Chilton County.

 

Brandye Parrott