Julie McCombs
Bailey, left, and Barrett Tyler will compete in the Miss South Carolina pageant June 21-28 at Columbia. Baily will compete in the Teen pageant and Barrett in the Miss.
Julie McCombs
Barrett Tyler will compete as Miss Simpsonville.
Julie McCombs
Bailey Tyler will compete as Miss Columbia Teen.
Their daughters, Barrett and Bailey, to whom the wardrobes belong, each have a tiara and a sash. They are within two weeks of competing in the Miss South Carolina and Miss South Carolina Teen pageants.
Barrett is Miss Simpsonville and Bailey is Miss Columbia Teen.
The girls explained besides the competitive gowns, talent wear, swimsuit and fitness attire, a new outfit is needed for every other appearance on the 7-day itinerary.
Barrett is the more experienced in pageants being the oldest. “When Barrett competed I saw how much fun she was having and how the family supported her and said, ‘I want to be part of that, too.”
The pageant is June 21-28 at Columbia’s Township Auditorium. The Teen finals are on a Friday and the Miss finals are Saturday and will be televised.
The girls agreed that being together at the pageant has its advantages. “This has definitely made us closer, we hang out all the time now. At the pageant we have that support system and have each other for encouragement whenever we need it,” said Barrett.
“We gave up a lot of food, any kind of food that’s amazing. We have also had to sacrifice time with our friends because (pageant preparation) is very time consuming. But it’s so worth it because we get to compete and be a part of our platforms,” said Bailey
“Our missing puzzle piece last year was working out and that was our goal this year. We have been doing that for months to prepare for this pageant,” said Barrett.
Contestants have platforms to forward their idea of community service.
Barrett has been promoting the benefits of positives through her “Grin and Barrett” platform. Grin as an acronym for Give encouragement. Respect each other. Initiate positivity. Never say never.
“I want to make a difference by promoting a positive attitude,” said Barrett. “It is my job to serve to the best of my ability with a positive attitude and to teach others that they can turn any situation into a positive learning experience.
“This has really helped me learn to stay true to myself. The Tyler girls aren’t stick skinny and I've learned to embrace myself and have a positive attitude with curves,” said Barrett.
Bailey’s platform is Operation Christmas Child but has an additional stake in Operation South Carolina Cares. People donate shoeboxes filled with personal hygiene products, clothing, games and treats. They are distributed to need children around the world.
Operation South Carolina Cares is similar but filled shoeboxes are distributed at children’s hospitals.
Bailey, wanting to deliver the shoeboxes to the children, earned a trip to the Philippines last year to fulfill that part of her agenda. “It was amazing to see my platform go full circle,” she said. “This gave me the motivation to begin an initiative to cater to children with severe illnesses.
“The children get excited but they aren't the only ones, the adults and staff do, too.”
Bailey said competing in the pageant affords her the opportunity to promote her platform well beyond Greer. “Even though I am in the teen competition we can still make a difference and influence the state. It is very important to be that example,” said Bailey.