Rodeo Queen Manners

One of the prime examples of a rodeo queen is a young women who has proper manners and etiquette in all situations. These include dinners, interviews, meeting important members of the rodeo committee, and especially when you are with judges at a rodeo queen pageant.

1. Take care of your appearance

   Appearance does not mean your outfit needs to be expensive, or every hair in a perfect place, but you should strive for an overall look of well-kept and presentable. This includes tailoring excessively baggy clothes, brushing your teeth and your hair, making sure your lipstick isn’t on your teeth and that the corners of your eyelashes are glued down. Hat should be clean and shaped and jeans should be starched.

2. Meeting

   It is customary when you are meeting important people in the rodeo community, to look them in the eye when you introduce yourself, and likely shake their hand. If you can do your best to remember their names so that next time you see this person you can address them properly. It is worth noting during a pageant that judges are not always a fan of shaking hands before/after an interview. If you are meeting the judges outside a judged component of the pageant or prior to the official start of the pageant(ie. if there is a meet and greet during orientation, do not contact the judges outside of the contest), than you should treat them like a normal person.

3. Dinning

   Yes a whole section dedicated to eating. A few things, if you know you are a very messy eater and are invited to a dinner, I would advise to not wear white, same goes for if your trying to wear a dress that barely zips or a dress that doesn’t allow you to sit easily. To those competing in a pageant with breakfast/lunches/dinners with the judges, review basic table etiquette. Chew with your mouth closed, cross your legs at the ankles, no elbows on the table, also remember to always use your napkin, and whatever you do don’t talk with food in your mouth.

4. No Phones

   Your phone should be out of sight and on silent during the entirety of rodeo queen events or pageants. The only exception at events is to use it for photos, but if that is the case and you are traveling with a chaperone- ask them to hold the phone plus than you always have someone handy to take photos. However during pageants, your phone should be out of sight out of mind, and never walk into a pageant event with your phone on you. Give it to your parents, a committee member, leave it off in your bag in the dressing room. For state and national titles you will likely have to turn it in at check in, because you are typically not allowed any electronic devices while sequestered for a pageant.