Chloe Sanders Reflects on the Blessings of Pageant Life
By Sheila Duncan
Reporter
Beauty pageants have often been seen as showcases of physical appearance, but the truth is, the modern pageant world offers so much more for young women. Participating in a beauty pageant can provide invaluable experiences that contribute to personal growth, life skills, and future opportunities, making it a transformative journey for many young ladies. I had the opportunity of asking one special young lady about her life. Let’s see what Chloe Sanders has to say!
Chloe, tell us about yourself, your family, your hobbies, your pets: “My name is Chole Annalynne Sanders. I am 17 years old, and I am an only child. I have two dogs, Champ and Cody. I have a cat named Periwinkle. I have lived in Centreville all my life, in fact, I still live in the same house my parent brought me home to. For fun I love competing in pageants. You get to meet new people every single pageant. You get to compete not against others but your best self. I also love traveling. I have visited 23 of the United States!!”
What motivated you to participate in beauty contests? “At a point in my life, I found myself in a group where I felt I did not belong. I was bullied and made fun of by a group of my peers, and I just knew it was time for me to walk away and find where I belonged. I took a leap of faith and entered my first pageant about two years ago and I loved the idea of pageants. Through my titles I have been able to start my platform “Choose Kindness”, which focuses on anti-bullying and acts of kindness. Through my platform I have done a lot of community service. I have raised close to $2000 for organizations and individuals such as blankets for foster children, over $600 for Christmas with a Cop, 1,500 nonperishable food items for our county food banks, among many other community service projects. That to me is what is all about, making a difference. I want to show others my age that we can make a difference in the lives of others. One small act of kindness to us may change another person’s whole world. I go into our schools to promote kindness and to show them that a small town girl can do big things. To show them to not let what others think or say detour them from being and doing good! I want to encourage those that face discouragement!”
How do you think participating in beauty contests has influenced your perspective on self-esteem and confidence? “I have learned that you alone control how you are perceiving yourself. There is only voice to listen to and that is your own. We must encourage, boost and support ourselves. We cannot rely on the opinions of others as there is much influence on peoples’ opinions and views of us. We know our heart and our true self, and we must reflect that in how we speak to others, treat others and go about our daily lives. We must be true. It is true that we are judged in pageants but just as our daily lives we are not everybody’s “cup of tea” I take my scores and judges’ comments to find ways that I can better myself. My pageant coach always reminds me we only compete against our better self. Bottom line that’s it, we must always be our best self. We must always meet our own standards of ourselves, and we must set our standards high. Not to be the prettiest, the smartest or the most popular. We must set high standards of morality, kindness, compassion, understanding and genuinity.”
Can you share a memorable moment from one of your beauty contests? “The moment I won Miss Cahaba Lily. What a true honor! I am the first Miss Cahaba Lily to win once the resident restrictions were lifted. I am the first Miss Cahaba Lily not from West Blocton High School. I competed against a group of beautiful, sweet and kind girls that day. When my name was called as the winner pure joy and happiness filled my heart. It is such an honor to be chosen to represent my county and be able to use my platform in my county to spread love and kindness.”
How do you incorporate your passion for charity into your involvement in beauty contests? “Each time I am blessed to win a title I can use that title to promote my platform, Choose Kindness! Also, some people may be unaware that a lot of pageants actually have a charity event as part of participation in their pageant. They will choose a cause, and you contribute to that cause on pageant day and a charity queen will be chosen.”
What causes are you most passionate about? “That is a hard question to answer. That is why I love my platform so much. Under “Choose Kindness” there are no limitations on how to promote kindness. I have done such a variety of community service projects, and each one holds a special place in my heart.”
How do you balance the demands of preparing for beauty contests with your charity work? “I feel it all goes together. Doing charity work takes planning, time management, resource management, social skills, speaking skills, and hard work. All o f these things are important when preparing for pageants. So I take a little from each and utilize it for both.”
What skills have you developed through your experiences that help you in your charity work? “I would definitely say speaking skills and people skills. Both are very important. There is a time and place for words and there is a time and place for action. Learning which to use when is important.”
How do you use your platform from beauty contests to raise awareness for charitable causes? “Choose Kindness is just that I choose ways to spread kindness. I have used so many avenues to do this from money donations, item donations, book readings, school events and sometimes just simply being there to show that I am there to offer whatever support is needed.”
What challenges have you faced in balancing both pursuits, and how do you overcome them? “I am blessed with a very strong support system. I have an amazing family, extended family, close friends and wonderful pageant directors and a wonderful coach. They make it seem seamless because they are there to lend a hand, encouragement and whatever else I need. My faith definitely helps. At the end of the day a good devotional of God’s word and prayer always blurs the challenges and highlights the hope!”
What advice would you give to other teens considering entering beauty contests or getting involved in charity? “Pageants are great fun and a lot of work! You must be willing to give 100% and sometimes more. Pageants will open doors you never knew existed and that is part of the fun! Meeting new people and making new friends is such a blessing and I am grateful for each one. If you try pageants go into it with an open mind and a willingness to learn and you will be blessed. The head bling is an added bonus but it’s your heart that must shine. Use it for good!
“Charity work is such a blessing! It will forever change our life. Anybody can do charity work, and we should! There is so much we could do if we all chipped in. Charity does not have to be big and boisterous. Smiles, hugs and encouragement sometimes is all that is needed to turn a situation around. If we all Choose Kindness, the world would most certainly be a better place.
“At the end of each day look back and think did I live a life that is worthy!? God gave us life. Let’s use it for good! To make a difference, we can all Choose Kindness.”
Exploring your community allows you to uncover its hidden gems and forge meaningful connections with your neighbors and Chloe Sanders is one of those Gems. Thank you, Chloe Sanders, for taking the time to answer our questions so that we may get to know you and your family on a more personal level.
