When it comes to all-natural pageants for girls and teens, National American Miss (NAM), American Coed (Coed), and International Junior Miss (IJM) are popular choices for many families. My daughters and clients always rave about the quality of these contest systems when they participate in them. Because these three contest systems have similar categories of competition, when you prepare for one, it’s easy to compete in the other two.

The 3 main areas of competition for state pageants are formal dress, personal presentation, and interview. Fun Fashion/Modeling is added as a fourth category of competition in the IJM national pageant.

Special tips for formal wear:

• Dresses must be floor-length and floor-length for all three contests. Better a little too long than too short; but the contestant must be able to walk in the gown without stepping on it. Shoes must not be visible when standing.
• Make sure smocks have straps for girls ages 4-12. The 13-15 age groups are a bit tricky. You will see strapless and strapless dresses on girls in these age groups. Here’s a question to ask yourself when looking for a Jr. Teen dress. When you are wearing the dress, do you look older than 15? It is better to be conservative. If she could pass for an 18-year-old in the dress, she’s too mature. Add straps. In teen divisions, strapless dresses are perfectly acceptable.
• Make sure the skirt is not too full or puffy. The judges want to see your daughter. If the dress is too wide or too ruffled, it will shorten the contestant’s height on stage and divert the girl’s attention. There’s a fine line between making a statement in your dress and being too much. You’ll start to see the more straight skirts and mermaid styles at Teens in COED; and about Jr. Teens and Teens at NAM and IJM. Slit skirts are not common for teens in these three pageant systems; however, you will occasionally see one. It all depends on how elegant the style of dress is. Again, I think it’s best to be conservative and go without cuts. A high slit is never appropriate in these three contests.
• Solid color dresses with tasteful embellishments tend to score better on these systems. If you think about the colors of the sorbet ice cream flavors, you’ll get a pretty good idea of ​​the color palette you’ll see on stage. And of course, you will always see white.

Special Tips for Personal Presentation and Interview:

• Mixed submissions must not be longer than 20 seconds. Points will be deducted if you exceed the time limit. In NAM and IJM, 30 seconds is a guideline and you can increase it to 40 seconds. The focus here is not on how long it is but on delivery. The introduction must capture the judge’s attention within the first 7 seconds. Thinking about how TV commercials are made will help you write your introduction. The line is very fine between showing your personality and being over the top. You want people to be attracted to the real you and your personality.
• For the interview, all contestants must wear closed-toe, nude-colored shoes and pantyhose. Children need to buy nude color dance character shoes. Your best bet is to order them online at a discount dance store because you won’t find them in department shoes. Capezio is a trusted new brand.
• A solid color interview suit with minimal stones or rhinestones is your best bet with the hem slightly above the knee. Mid-thigh is too short. It should fit your contours perfectly without being too tight, especially at the bottom. If your butt looks like the capital letter D on your skirt, it’s too tight. Most boys suits are custom made because they cannot be easily found in stores.

Special General Tips:

• No makeup on girls 12 and under. Don’t even put shiny clear gloss on her lips. Makeup for the older age categories should be age-appropriate.
• No tight curls or party hairstyles. They like the hair to look natural in these systems. Natural does not mean staying straight, although some injured girls can pull off that look. Loose hair with lift at the roots and soft body at the ends is the ideal style. Hair must be out of the contestant’s face. If you have bangs, gently flick them to the side or lift them up off your forehead. Bangs will cast a shadow over your eyes and face and the judges won’t see those features.
• The clothing style for the fun fashion and casual wear modeling competitions is actual clothing, NOT costumes or flashy clothing. You’ll see high and low dresses, jeggings with cute tops, and a variety of clothing that expresses the personalities of the contestants. Avoid denim. Show off your fashion sense by accessorizing and personalizing your outfit, but don’t cross the line into tacky.