Beauty pageants evoke a vision of fake smiles, cheesy jokes, world peace advocates and a brigade of attractive airheads. But contrary to popular belief, the Miss America Organization is more than just a parade of pretty girls in swimwear.

The Miss America Organization awards talent, scholastic achievement and community service as opposed to slim figures and the ability to walk in four-inch heels, according to the Sacramento County Scholarship Association, Inc.

According to local executive director, April Smith, contestants must have brains to succeed in the pageant.

“A lot of people look at programs and think it’s just a bunch of bimbos running around on a stage,” Smith said.

Nicole Honaker, Miss Sacramento County winner and a Sacramento State sophomore nursing major, agreed.

“You have to have a mind to show you’re more than just a pretty girl,” Honaker said.According to Smith, the physical portion of the competition isn’t weighed nearly as heavily as the contestant’s abilities.

The talent part of the competition is weighed heaviest at 35 percent, leaving the interview portion to consist of 25 percent of the total score. The evening gown, casual wear and swimsuit portions are each worth 10 percent, while the onstage question is 5 percent of the overall scoring.

“It’s really easy to get on stage and do a pretty twirl. Anyone could do that. But to have a talent, that’s different,” Smith said.

Honaker’s talent was a gymnastics routine, which was choreographed with the help of a teammate on the Sac State cheerleading team. Her involvement in sports inspired her to choose her platform. She plans to speak about her experience and participate in events throughout her year as Miss Sacramento.

“Sports have made me who I am today, so I think it’s important to get our youth involved,” Honaker said. Though she felt well-prepared for her gymnastics routine, she wasn’t as confident about her interview. “I got nervous about the interview portion.”

Then again she also won the award for best interview, which included questions about the contestants’ talents, interests, platforms and global and political issues.

“They ask about community service work, interesting facts about yourself and they always include current event questions,” said Melissa Greiner, a senior communications major and first runner-up.

The swimwear competition, designed to promote overall fitness and maintenance, was only about 20 seconds long. The girls were not instructed to pose or even stop on stage, but just walk by the judges.

This has been a controversial category in the past, though the score is only worth one-tenth of the overall competition.

“It’s not meant to be sexy, it’s to show that you take care of yourself,” Greiner said.

There were a few insider tips gathered from former beauty queens, such as taping or gluing the backside of bathing suits in order to keep them from “riding up.” Some contestants used body adhesives, while others were more creative with their tactics.

“We used wig tape to hold our bathing suit bottoms in place,” Greiner said. “It’s tape that women use to hold their wigs in place.”

Though only Honaker won an entry into the Miss California Pageant, held in March, there will be other opportunities for the contestants to try again in open forums and in other counties.

“I’ve been a runner-up three times, so I’m encouraged to keep trying,” Greiner said.

Lauren King can be reached at [email protected]