Curiosity Killed the Cat

Vol. 11 , No. 26 , February 28, 2008 Curiosity Killed the Cat
By: Jen Gubler
It started as a misunderstanding. I was looking for a fun story on beauty pageants. How stressful is it really? What do the women have to go through to prepare for the big night? Is it really competitive or do the women build everlasting friendships with each other? And mostly, how do they pick their platforms? Is it something they care about or something that will just impress the judges? I wanted to go in-depth, behind the scenes and uncover the truth. In-depth and behind the scenes is exactly what I am going to get.I left a voice mail for one of the pageant officials at the Mrs. Utah United States pageant. I thought I had told her that I was looking for some information on the pageant for an article. I immediately received a return call and several e-mails containing pageant information. But not the kind of pageant information I was expecting. The e-mail said, “You will LOVE this program,” and “...it takes a lot of courage to say you want to do a pageant.” It didn't take long to figure out that they thought I wanted to participate in the pageant.I'm can't say why I didn't correct the misunderstanding right then and there. Instead I began joking with others about the idea. Me in a beauty pageant! I thought that was pretty funny. After all, I had my last baby just three months ago. I told my co-workers about the idea, expecting a smirk or a joke or two. Instead I got something like, “You should really do it” and “We would totally support you.” Hmm, were they sincere or afraid I would throw a reporter's notebook at their head?I began to see myself going undercover and writing a series of articles uncovering the good, the bad and the ugly about beauty pageants. This made the pageant look very appealing. But after the e-mails I received from the pageant director, it was bound to be a series of articles about how sweet and caring and supportive these women are. The e-mails were dripping with sincere appreciation for the things these women accomplish. I was going to have to think this through but with the deadline to submit my application just a few days away, I didn't have much thinking time left.The true test was when I asked my husband. The very supportive and yet very honest man who said, “I love it when you sing, but don't try out for American Idol.” I knew he would give me the answer I needed. He would tell me how beautiful he thinks I am and how much he loves me, and then tell me to wait until next year when I had time to get to the gym. I wanted to ask him in person, to watch his eyes and facial expression when I told him about my idea. He was in Salt Lake, however, and the phone would have to do. So I laid it on him, half joking and half serious and he did the most amazing, surprising thing. He said, not to me but to his co-workers that were in the room, “My wife is the next Mrs. Utah.” Well, I guess that was my answer.So I headed back to the computer and looked over the Mrs. Utah United States site very carefully. There was an interview in which I would have to wear a business suit, an evening gown contest, and my worst nightmare, a swimming suit contest. I filled out the application and lingered over submit for a few extra seconds. I reasoned that a lot of good could come from this. I could pick a platform that truly meant something to me and maybe do some good for the community whether I won or not. So, baby weight and stretch marks aside, I have entered the Mrs. Utah pageant.There is one person I haven't told yet. My seven-year-old son who knows I can't throw reporter's notebooks at his head. He would surely have laughed at me.I would like to give a big thank you to my first sponsor Greg Kesmetis with GR8PRICES.COM and the Hurricane Valley Journal.Editor's note: Jen Gubler is the newest staff writer for the Journal. She is married to Clarence Gubler and they live in La Verkin with their sons, Zachary and Matthew. She brings a lot of experience and enthusiasm to the pages of the Journal and we feel lucky to have her on the staff. We hope you enjoy getting to know her through her writing, especially during the Mrs. Utah series. Watch for the next chapter in this series in the weeks to come.