There’s a note going around on Facebook, “25 Random Facts About Me”, where people tag you to read their 25 random facts and then you are supposed to in turn write 25 facts about yourself.  I liked reading about my friends and definitely found out things that I didn’t know before.  Well, I figured that I needed more room than Facebook allowed, so why not bring it on home where I can get really funki?  Get ready to find out more than you ever wanted to know about Funkidivagirl.

Betcha didn’t know that….

#12  I was Miss Twin Cities.  And then I competed in Miss Teen All American.

Wow, I must really like you people or I have told so many facts/secrets about myself that I don’t have any shame left because hardly anyone knows this fact about me.   My husband is absolutely giddy that I am telling this because it is the one thing that he likes to let “slip out” while I kick him under the table.

I don’t even remember how I got into the pageant in Minnesota, but it was a pleasant experience and I was excited to go to Bal Harbour, Florida to compete in the national competition, Miss Teen All American.   However, once I was there, I immediately knew that I was out of my league; the girls at this pageant were experienced beauty queens and carried themselves much older than their teen-aged years.  Professional make-up, full sequined dresses and elaborate hair styles were the norm.   And the bodies….oh, these girls had body!   My fresh-faced, skinny butt was not going to make the cut and I knew it right away.  Still, my mom and I tried to enjoy the weekend, full of visits to Sea World and other local attractions, and make friends with the other girls and mothers.  The last part was not easy; while I met a few nice girls, many were fake-nice and the moms were even worse, ultra competitive stage-moms who wanted their daughter to win at all costs.  I also saw that not all the girls were treated the same by the pageant staff; clearly some girls were given more attention and staged for more publicity photos than others.  Even before the competition began certain girls were being groomed for the finals.  It was, at the time, more than my naive young self could handle and the pageant ended up being a very negative experience for me.  

Not only did I know upon arriving that I would not win, it also became quite apparent over the course of the weekend who would win.  It was going to be an older contestant because the winner was historically always older (I don’t even know why they let 14 year olds compete because they don’t stand a chance).  And I had a feeling that it was going to be an African American girl (a first) because Vanessa Williams had just become the first African American woman to win the Miss America title.  Well, since there were only 3 of us there, it was simply a short process of elimination.  As I said before, I knew that it wasn’t going to be me.  And of the 2 girls left, the girl from Ohio was the oldest (already out of high school) and the most poised and pageant experienced.  

I called it correctly and the girl from Ohio, Halle Berry, was crowned the winner.  

I was happy for her, happy that they chose an African American girl and mostly happy to go back home. Many years later I met Halle again when our good friend Shemar Moore introduced us (he was dating her at the time) and I asked her if she remembered this pageant.   She remembered, but she was a little fuzzy on the details.  Obviously she went on to become an accomplished, academy award winning actress; maybe this pageant played a small part in her career as an initial jumping-off point.  

Besides Halle, I know many people who find beauty pageants to be a very positive experience for them, but that was not the case for me.   I too can be a little fuzzy on details about past memories, but I remember that whole weekend with crystal clarity because it was so awful.  Live and learn, grow and change, chalk it up to experience.  I never entered a pageant again.

That’s it, the last random fact about me. It was fun posting these random facts about myself; even my son (who has heard most of my stories) didn’t know that I was a Keebler Elf.  I know on Facebook people told 25 facts about themselves, but frankly I think that I have spilled my guts quite enough and I’m going to stop right now before I tell anything incriminating.  

Betcha Didn’t Know: 12 Random Facts About Me

#1  I have a bad temper, I’m pretty fearless and I hate punks.  And that has gotten me into trouble. 

#2  I have toys in my home office.  And they’re all mine.

#3  I have a library call number.

#4  I was a Keebler elf.

#5  I hate sneezes.

#6  I was a small part of the Minneapolis Sound.

#7  My father calls me Sam.

#8  People think that I am Ethiopian.

#9  I was a Club Med G.O.

#10  I love the beach, but I’m afraid of the ocean.  Mostly the sharks in the ocean.

#11  I learned to swim as an adult and I’m very proud of myself.

#12  I was Miss Twin Cities. And then I competed in Miss Teen All American.