How Much Does it Cost to Be a Beauty Queen

When 20 year-old Olivia Culpo was crowned Miss Universe 2012, she made it all look easy. She confidently flashed her pearly white mega-watt smile, blew a few kisses here and there, and threw in a sprinkle of waves just for good measure.

The reality is becoming a top beauty queen isn't cheap. According to the Pageant News Bureau, pageantry is big business. How big? It's a $5 billion-a-year industry that draws an estimated 250,000 entrants per year in the U.S. alone.

The younger you start the more expensive the journey towards the crown will be.
You can hardly blame a parent for being giddy with pride after seeing his or her daughter, or son, win the top prize at a child pageant. However, when you take a look past the glamour, the price tag of competition can make your eyes burn.
Related: Can You Afford Your Hobby?



Big primping
Television shows like Toddlers and Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo provide audiences with a glimpse into the world of beauty pageants. As well, candid conversations reveal the high cost of chasing a trophy or a crown. One parent who is making the sacrifice for beauty is Montgomery, Louisiana resident, Juana Myers. During a tapping of NBC's the TODAY Show she confessed that she would never recoup the cost of the numerous $400 competition entry fees, hours of coaching sessions at $50 (some coaches charge up to $300 per hour), money spent on costumes, which work out to be an average of $400 and can even go up to $4,000. "You never get back the money you put into it. Never," she said.

One way she funds her daughter, MacKenzie's,glamourous yet expensive hobby is to sell the outfits that she has previously competed in. Another area she strives to save costs is by setting limits on her six-year-old daughter's beauty regime. Whereas she will stretch her budget to pay for hairpieces, heels and make-up, she won't spend a dime on eyebrow waxing, or teeth and hair bleaching. Maintaining a full on beauty routine for her little girl could cost hundreds of dollars per month.

Other stage mothers have a different approach to financing. Honey Boo Boo's mother, June Shannon, saves for her daughter's pageant related expenses by following a strict and unhealthy regimen of extreme couponing. Fortunately, some contestants receive sponsorships that help them to afford their glitzy attire and competition entrance fees.



Beware of wolves
While there are plenty of legitimate pageants out there some are fraudulent.
For those who are considering competition, watch out for excessively high fees, unnecessary additional photos, requirements to purchase outfits from a particular sponsor and bogus prizes. To protect yourself verify the location of the pageant.

Some fly by night companies will just ask for credit card information and be very cagey about providing further details, such as date and location. Before you hand over your credit card information, call the proposed venue to confirm the information. Another way to protect yourself is to verify their status with the Better Business Bureau.

The rewards
For those who can stomach the tanning, bleaching and dieting there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Former beauty queens Halle Berry (Miss USA finalist 1986), Vanessa Williams (Miss USA 1984), and Aishwarya Rai (Miss World 1994) have all had very successful careers as a result of their titles and international exposure.

Other title hopefuls want a little more than fame. Jessica Bermudez, 24, a regular on the pageant circuit, says that even if she doesn't win she is grateful for the public speaking experience, the confidence it gives her and the opportunity she has to spread awareness about women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Whatever a hopeful's goal are, one thing is for sure: bring lots of money.