Miss America
This week is the 100th anniversary of the annual Miss America beauty pageant. Over the years the “pageant” has evolved considerably. Though it began as a “bathing beauty review” in 1921, it is no longer considered a pageant, but a competition. The swimsuit portion was eliminated in 2018 and the participants, now referred to as candidates, are no longer judged on their outward physical appearance, but on their talent and intellect. And that reminds me of a meeting I had in the mid 1980’s with Debra Sue Maffett, who had been named Miss America in 1983.
I imagine many people, notably including me, are uncomfortable and not sure how to act when in the presence of an unusually attractive person who is a larger than life public figure. Especially when that person suddenly appears in their office. In this case, Miss Maffett lived with a close friend of mine and had dropped by to introduce herself.
I confess, I was intimidated.
My mind went totally blank. I don’t remember much from our conversation, other than feeling nervous. But ultimately, I was made to feel completely at ease by Miss Maffett, whose interpersonal skills and charm exceeded her considerable beauty. She was an excellent conversationalist and I enjoyed spending time with her.
Obviously, in life we each try to “fit in” to society. Especially as teenagers we are extremely concerned about being accepted. Are we too short? Too thin, too fat? Is our nose the right size? Do we dress in a socially acceptable way? Today these concerns about “fitting in” are amplified by our ubiquitous social media.
But – I’d like to reassure today’s youth that if you can have just one skill in life, cultivate the ability to get along well with others.
Develop your patience, tolerance, and consideration. Even if you are exceptional in other ways – beauty, intelligence, charisma – to maximize your enjoyment of life, you still have to figure out how to create meaningful relationships with others. It is our relationships with friends, family members and colleagues that bring our greatest joy in life. And while I know that we can’t please all of the people all of the time, we should aim to appeal to the people that matter to us whenever possible and to always treat them with kindness.
Debra, Wikipedia says that you hail from Cut and Shoot, Texas, and that you’re now 65 years old. There is no reason you should remember me, but since we’re all in the midst of a pandemic, I’d just like to say a virtual “hello,” and thank you for your lovely visit many years ago.
Alan