My only experience of anything like that was with our annual high school selection of class beauties known as the Beauty Walk. The lady that was in charge of the Miss Alabama contest picked 25 seniors by their class pictures and a group of officers from the nearby air base picked eight girls from that group.
My senior pix.I was sitting in one of my classes when an announcement was made over the intercom about who had been picked and the details of the big event. Well, it was a big event for a fairly small town. My last name started with a W and I almost missed hearing it mentioned because I wasn't paying close attention. I was half-way hoping I wouldn't hear it, I think, 'cause that meant walking across the stage in the auditorium all by your lonesome! The only time I'd been on the stage was in a group and getting up in front of people made my legs shake and my stomach turn into a knot! My best friend was also mentioned and she was excited. I think I was feeling more terror than excitement! I didn't care for the feeling of being scruitinized.
I went home with the news that I'd need an evening gown and my mother didn't waste any time starting to make a very pretty aqua strapless dress. It had 2 layers of material and I was happy with it when I tried it on.
My hair was fairly long and I wanted to wear it up, so that meant a trip to a beauty shop and over an hour in a chair on the verge of tears from the pain! I was what was called "tender headed"! It required lots of hairpins and hairspray! And patience!
My best friend and I talked about our dresses and then came the rehearsal which was kind of fun. The only advice I remember was to smile. A few of the girls had been in some pagents and were used to this. I wasn't and as the day approached, butterflies were growing! As well as pressure!
When I came out of my room in my dress my daddy whistled at me. Bless his heart. We went to the school and I went to join my classmates while my parents went to the auditorium. I quickly found my best friend and joined in the nervous chatter. Then it was time to start. First the beginning of the alphabet and slowly but surely they got to the end of it and it was my turn! One of the boys from our class was helping us climb the stairs to the stage and then up a small platform. We had to stand there for a minute while we were announced and I heard this loud intake of air which made me want to back up! I'm sure they did that to all the girls. The auditorium was filled with parents, teachers, family and friends who had watched most of us grow up and I think we all looked pretty grown up that night! I walked down some steps to the stage, holding a boy's hand and then I was on my own! I had to walk from the center of the stage to the left and then all the way across! I was almost to the other side when I realized that my smile was moving on its own and just as I was about to make my escape from the stage I heard a little kid down front say, "Her lips are moving!" Thanks kid!
We all went back to the same room and someone came and called out 11 names to go meet the judges! I was in the group and when we got in the room something remarkable happened. It was like someone had flipped a switch and one of the girls, Dottie. became very animated and started flirting with the guys who were doing the judging! Dottie was a blonde--a natural white blonde-- who'd been in other pagents. Her name was Dorothy but she was known as Dottie. I can still see her walking in the halls with her books on one hip--she was the queen of the sashay! I don't think it was by accident, either! She had the swishing of hips down pat! She seemed to be doing okay with flirting, too! What a surprise--she was picked as top beauty! My best friend was one of the 8 which made me happy for her. I was an also ran! heh
Was Dottie the prettiest girl in our class? No, but her self-confidence and obvious flirting had convinced the judges that she was! I also suspect they were bamboozled by her blonde hair! Of course, it wasn't unusual for girls to date the airmen so there is a possibility that she knew one of them. Fair? Not exactly. And this was a kinder time!
Posts
If anyone in your class was prettier than you are in your senior pic they must have been a raving beauty.
ReplyDeleteAs I read this I had some flashbacks of things that happened on our high school stage where I was on the stage crew and served one year as the stage manager. I also had roles in school plays and served as Master of Ceremony for a couple of productions. One thing I'll never forget was when one young lady came on stage in her lovely evening gown. A bra, probably one she had worn to the event but had changed out of in order to wear a strapless bra with her gown, had become attached somehow to her gown by its strap and was trailing along behind her. When she left the stage and I pointed it out to her she was mortified but we all had a big laugh about it. I think it may have been a 32C. :-)
Oh, BTW, what was the name of the nearby Air Force base?
What a great story, thanks for sharing it. And I'm with Don, what a beautiful picture. (You should have flirted!)
ReplyDeleteJulie
Don, let's not get carried away! heh The prettiest girl in our class, who was voted on by the class, was in the 8. Dottie wasn't ugly but also not as pretty as she seemed to think. It was her white blonde hair that caught the attention of the males!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you weren't shy! The base was Craig AFB. Closed a long time ago.
Thanks, Julie. If only I had known then what I know now! ;)
ReplyDeleteCraig, huh?
ReplyDeleteGo to http://www.flashpointblog.com/2007/12/10/dana-perino-is-no-us-history-scholar/ and read my comment to Dana Perino is no U.S. history scholar. While at that radar site in Thomasville I picked up some pocket change managing a small satellite BX store. All of the merchandise came from the Craig BX, and I would drive up there in a USAF truck every 7 to 19 days to pick up new items when my stock would get low on them.
It seems that I heard somewhere that back then when Craig was heavily involved in pilot training it was the busiest airport in the world because of all the takeoffs and landings by the trainees.
Actually, in spite of all the activities I was involved during my school years I was shy and I never grew out of it. I guess all the girls thought I was just playing "hard to get" and that made me more attractive to them in their minds. I was totally embarrassed when I was voted the most handsome boy in my senior class. At my age now, if some lady said that I’m handsome I’d probably kiss her. :-)
TYPO CORRECTION: make that 7 to 10 days.
ReplyDeleteEver thought of a book, Don? About that time in history? Your family might want to know what you were doing then.
ReplyDeleteWhen we went on a trip to Costa Rica I found out the pilot had trained at Craig. Now most of them train at Ft Rucker. One of the helicopter pilots told me everyone he knew had trained there. Small world sometimes!
[...] Check it out! While looking through the blogosphere we stumbled on an interesting post today.Here’s a quick excerptMy hair was fairly long and I wanted to wear it up, so that meant a trip to a beauty shop and over an hour in a chair on the verge of tears from the pain! I was what was called “tender headed”! It required lots of hairpins and hairspray … [...]
ReplyDeleteLinda, thanks for thinking I might be intelligent enough to write a book and get it published. I have doubts about being able to do either one, and I actually don't think I could write one that might be of much interest to anyone that is just about myself. My ego is much smaller than it may seem to be to others.
ReplyDeleteBefore I became so involved in political thingys (such as is on my website for Alabamians), I wrote of many experiences I've had. Some were good, others were bad, some were nice, and others were naughty. :-)
Unfortunately, when my dearly departed old PC took its eternal dirt nap several months ago they all went to the grave with it, and now I don't have time to try to reconstruct them.
My family knows about my life, except for the secrets (skeletons) that I choose to keep to myself. :-)