We recently connected with Christie Hines and have shared our conversation below.
Christie, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
My journey towards developing my confidence and self esteem began in 1989 at the age of 17. I had struggled with severe bullying in Jr. High School and I was extremely shy. If I had to speak in front of a group of people, I would turn beet red. For years, I had received flyers in the mail to enter the Miss Maine Teen USA Pageant. I was completely interested, but so scared to take that step. Finally, at age 17, I entered. I most likely came in last but I didn’t care. I had the best time, met some great girls, and realized that I enjoyed being on stage and competing. From there, I entered pageants year after year, winning in 1990 and representing Maine nationally. Through this, I gained confidence, communication skills, and friendships. Not only did I participate as a contestant, but for 22 years served as assistant to the director and contestant recruiter for a major Mrs. pageant system. My dream was to one day become a state director. That dream was realized in April 2021 when I was made a Maine pageant state director! I give 100% credit to my pageant involvement for who I am today.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My passion is to empower women of all ages and stages of life. As a pageant state director, the most important thing I do is reach out to women in Maine and encourage them to enter. Most of the women I work with have never participated in pageants and they are petrified. I provide many opportunities for my contestants, including community involvement, volunteering, fashion shows and modeling opportunities, and pageant preparation workshops. Through all of this, contestants develop communication and leadership skills which benefit them beyond the pageant competition. This experience is much more than a pageant weekend. It is an experience that EMPOWERS INSPIRES and UPLIFTS, from the moment they enter. I enjoy the connections I make with my contestants and watching them develop over the time they’re entered.
Breaking the stereotypes pageantry has is also something I love to do. “All the women who compete are catty”, “Pageants are rigged”, “Only the tall women who are skinny with big boobs win”, I’ve heard it all and NONE of it is the case.
In addition to being empowered through pageantry, I am also a Breast Cancer Survivor of 11 years. It was through this experience that I discovered how important resiliency is. A single mother of 3 at that time, we lost our home, I was fired from my job due to my illness, I had to file bankruptcy, and we had to move our lives to another town…all while I was battling breast cancer. 2013 was THE most challenging year, but no matter what was thrown our way, we kept going. In the end, you can’t give up. My girls are MY WHY and why I’m on this earth. They got me through the cancer. They get me through almost everything.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My top skill that has been most impactful is being able to speak in front of groups of people without being terrified. Having that confidence is so important to me and I so wish I had been able to do this as a teenager.
I also am a helper. I like to try to help people as much as a can, whether it’s through the pageant or another type of organization. I have been an active advocate for several cancer organizations in Maine, not only through sharing my own cancer story, but being available to those who need someone to talk to.
The best advice I can give is don’t think you can please everyone. You can’t! I struggle BADLY with this, as I have been a people pleaser my entire life. Through my leadership, there are always going to be women who aren’t happy with something. And that’s ok. It has to be. I can only do so much. Brush it off and keep going.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
As a state director, I place myself in a vulnerable position. One that opens doors for attacks by others. Although I promote empowering women and a sisterhood of women who support and encourage each other, there are some women in the Maine pageant community who thrive on beating other women down. To think that others want to hurt someone because she’s succeeding is very bothersome. I have had to deal with women who became aggressive after competing in the pageant, because they didn’t win, accusing me of “rigging” my pageant, which would never happen. It’s a childish behavior, really. Like throwing a tantrum. In my mind, the judges made the right decision in not selecting THAT woman. But it’s sad to see, especially after working with them for many months and having a great relationship. Some women don’t want to grow and I can’t do anything to change that in them. I am all for women building each other up, not tearing each other down. Those are the women I want in my corner. I maintain a positive attitude, no matter what level of crazy is sent my way. I’ve worked way too hard for decades to let anyone derail my dreams. Just keep swimming…
Image Credits
Wedding Photo by Susan Costa Photography 4 Queens and me by Boulier Photography
