Courtesy of The Mrs. Missouri America Pageant
Andrea Robertson doesn’t often get stopped on the street for being a beauty queen, but that’s just what she is. The 32-year-old mother of two and wife of a former NBA player is the reigning Mrs. America, but she still manages to remain down-to-earth. “You’re not gonna get too high off the ground if you’re from St. Charles and you have three older brothers,” she says with a laugh. Robertson, who was also the first runner-up at Mrs. World 2009 in November, will appear onstage at this month’s Mrs. Missouri pageant in Branson.
In Her Words…
• I guess calling myself a beauty queen could be considered a little funny, but it just comes along with the title. I’m OK with it.
• I didn’t do pageants growing up. I had been modeling for a long time, and I thought the title might help my career.
• Winning a pageant is so hard because it’s so subjective. You just don’t know how you’re going to come across onstage or during the interview portions. I was so nervous at the Mrs. Missouri Pageant. I was not ready for the interview, and that’s fifty percent of your score. I decided not to put any pressure on myself, just to go for the experience, and then when I won, I couldn’t sleep all that night, I was so excited.
• The amount of padding in my swimsuit is insane. It’s not just one—it’s three pads. And we use something called “butt glue” to keep things from riding up.
• Winning Mrs. America, now that was crazy… When I saw all the women in their gowns, I texted my husband and said I should just go home.
• I didn’t cry when I won Mrs. America. It was more like Serena Williams winning match point at Wimbledon. I am very competitive by nature.
• Right after you win, there’s a celebrity party and champagne. Then you get showered with gifts. The next morning, you wake up in the hotel, and they take photos of your husband serving you breakfast in bed.
• As my husband says, he woke up one day and was all of a sudden married to Mrs. America. When we got home, he said, “You know, babe, I love you, I think you are the most beautiful woman in America, but how did you win that thing?”
• They give you a fur coat worth $5000, jewelry worth $10,000, and evening gowns worth another $10,000. There are designer watches for you and your husband, a designer line of unbelievable purses, and all kinds of gifts later, too.
• So many of the women came up to me at Mrs. World and said they expected Mrs. America to have an entourage of make-up and hair people, but I didn’t. And they said they were so thankful that I was normal. And the interview requirement at the pageant is 50 percent of your score, so the judges don’t want somebody putting on an act.
• Preparing for a pageant is more complicated than you would imagine. You have to conquer that wardrobe—your dress, your interview suit, your swimsuit. I’m a triathlete, so physically I was okay, but you have to work on stage presence. I did work with a nutritionist to get a certain look. Starting three days before you go onstage you have to really monitor the amount of water you drink and what you eat. I did interview sessions over the phone with an interview coach based in California, too.
• I’ll admit I’ve used my “Mrs. America card” a few times. A restaurant might say they’re full, and I tell them I’m Mrs. America. Lo and behold, a table will open up!
• After I won Mrs. America, the thought of getting a new gown for Mrs. World came up. So I was sitting in front of my computer after a couple of glasses of wine, and I emailed a couple of designers to ask them to design me a gown for free. One of them did—it’s a $6,000 gown! I just walked into his New York office, and he said, “Pick whatever you want.” I felt like Beyoncé.
• Wow. The Carrie Prejean scandal. Where do I begin? I think ultimately that was not a fair situation for her. The only way you can win is by being yourself, and that’s what she did, and she was not rewarded for it, she was penalized for it. And then it spiraled out of control.”
• There are some pageants that when you win you get plastic surgery as one of your awards, or some sort of discount on it.
• It definitely feels exciting when I put on my sash. It’s all lined with rhinestones, and it’s pretty fabulous to wear it.
• My 5-year-old daughter thinks the crown is fantastic. I have a City of O’Fallon crown, too, so when I put on the Mrs. America crown she gets to wear the smaller one.
• For a long time, I kept my crown in the trunk of my car, because I was so afraid of showing up at an appearance and forgetting it. Now I keep it in its carrying case on my dresser.
• I can’t imagine myself leaving the house in just a swimsuit, the sash, and the crown. Maybe if I get asked to make an appearance at a tiki party.
• I’m definitely done with pageants after this… But I’ll still be wearing my crown to the mailbox when I’m 80.
