Ms. Senior Jacksonville - OK...

I saw and ad for a local news channel's Woman of the Week (which got me to wondering if there's a Man of the Week), and the woman who was chosen was affiliated with the Ms. Senior Jacksonville Pageant. I do not know anything about this particular pageant, but it did get me to wondering just a bit.

Who would participate in this?
Probably a secondary question would ask who would watch. I am going to assume the people participating are former beauty pageant contestants, or perhaps those who wished they would have been but have aged more gracefully than their peers. I guess the audience would be similar to the audience of most pageants and kids sports, and I'm going to go out on a limb and say family members.

What is the purpose?
I don't get beauty pageants as a whole, but I believe the purpose of children, teens, and young adults doing these is to eventually get jobs in the entertainment industry. Modeling, newscasting, and other jobs that require someone to be easy on the eyes, vivacious, personable, and speak publicly. Adults who don't look amazing in a swimsuit might join a Toastmasters club to learn some of this, but if you have talent and looks, I kind of understand trying to use the format to showcase those, just in case there's a billionaire real estate developer in the audience. I don't quite see that happening at the Ms. Senior Jacksonville competition, but who am I to judge? I still play baseball, mostly because I can still play. I'm not going to go pro or impress anyone, so it's just something that keeps me in some kind of shape. The same can probably be said for local retired beauty queens. 

When does it end?
I just have to wonder if there's an upper age limit, or maybe divisions within the competition. There's a big difference between an AARP card-carrying 50 year-old and a great-great grandma turning 102. I assume there's some kind of disqualifier, like not being able to walk or breathe without a respirator. Again, I'm playing baseball with guys half my age right now, and I guess it's up to me (or the coach) to decide when it's time. But I paid my money and I show up to games, so that's enough right now. I'm just not sure if there are some kind of criteria that need to be met for Ms. Senior Jacksonville. I guess if you're interested, seek out the info to participate.

Where are these held?
It could be that these are feel-good activities at local nursing homes. I could see that, actually. Get everyone dolled up and roll them down for a talent show. But I've met people who take beauty pageants seriously, and that's a totally different scene than a traveling talent show for old-folks homes. I guess I'll assume these are serious competitions held in local high school auditoriums. Maybe some kind of senior fashion show for regional winners outside of the Talbots at the local mall. 

Why would seniors want to do this?
I'd bet this is a habit. It's no worse than my baseball or someone else's drinking to unconsciousness. My son like Scouting and my daughter likes soccer. I don't like either of those activities, but I attend the events to support their interests. I assume the whole pageant thing is relatively tasteful. I mean, not for 18 year-old grandsons, but generally family-friendly. Honestly, they probably do it because they have fun. My mom likes to watch Dancing With the Stars and Ellen. That's not fun to me, but it's her time.

I really thought I was going to make fun of Ms. Senior Jacksonville in this article, but I just couldn't. It's something to do that's better than going to an internet cafe or dog track. It challenges people both mentally and physically. And it's probably fun to do. No, I'm not going to get tickets for the next competition, but I'm also not going to judge. Except for those who really think they're going to get some modeling gig out of it. Or anyone whose talent is to dance to a Missy Elliott song.