How I Participated In A Beauty Pageant With A Pimple On My Face...My Story

The thought of stepping into a dark room with glaring flashlights hitting your face and the expert panelists judging you was daunting. Though it would just be a five-minute presentation, the beads of perspiration continued to trickle down my contoured cheekbones. I looked up to see one of the contestants step up onto the platform for her photoshoot. She was by far the prettiest girl in the congested backstage. As she exuded radiance with her glowing skin and looked perfect in her pink bodycon dress, my nervousness knew no bounds.

But hey, I am not an 18-year-old girl with a nervous disposition. On the contrary, even at such a young age, I am a confident girl. I was super stoked yesterday for having reached the final round of this pageant and had been a clear favourite until now. I was in a celebratory mood, but a pimple broke out on my forehead on the very morning of my finals for the Face of the Year competition!

The online competition was announced a month ago via social media by a famous facewash brand. With my deep-seated knowledge of skincare regimes, I assumed I had a good chance of winning it and instantly signed up for the contest. After clearing two rounds of the competition, I was one of the six contestants from across the country who made it to the final round, which was mainly a photoshoot.

I had been eagerly preparing for this moment, but for this uninvited pimple! This thing on my face made me question so many taken-for-granted aspects of my life, like poise and self-assurance. I wondered how a mere pimple could make you so jittery and unattractive, and a complete mess. All these years of being confident suddenly didn't matter. Taken over by the fear of being mocked at and dismissed, all I wanted to do was run away from the much-anticipated beauty pageant.

But A Few Moments Later

It was like a burst of lightning went off in my head and I found myself posing in front of the camera, forgetting about the flashlights and the panelists minutely studying me. I realised that I could answer any question the judges would throw at me. In that moment, it was inexplicable how, but I fought my pimple paranoia!

5 Days Later

I learned from social media that I hadn't won the competition (the pink bodycon dress girl did). But I was the first runner-up! Considering that I had a pimple, I think coming second means I still won!

10 Days Later

What more could be better? I got a call from a skincare brand to be their ambassador - they wanted someone who could inspire young girls. The way I owned my pimple during the competition really spoke to them. I was more than happy to take up that offer!

Soon, with some skincare help from Clean & Clear, the pimple vanished! From thereon, I have been promoting the dos and don'ts of combating pimple breakouts and encouraging teenagers to take care of their skin with effective skincare routines.

Dear Diary, in the past two months, I have learned that life is too short to pause for pimples. All you should do is to be yourself.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, places, events and incidents in this article are fictional. Any resemblance to an actual event is purely coincidental.