Miss USA Olivia Jordan: What It's Really Like to Compete for Miss Universe
When the Miss Universe pageant airs tonight, the U.S. will be represented by 27-year-old Oklahoman Olivia Jordan, who has been traveling the country sporting her white sash and gleaming smile ever since winning the title of Miss USA in July. She is now in Las Vegas, where 80 women from all over the world have been holed up at Planet Hollywood for the past 20 days getting ready for tonight. Olivia spoke to Cosmopolitan.com earlier this month about Vegas buffets, interview prep, and all those sequin dresses.
Walk me through what the last couple of days have been like for you.
It's early, so it's not crazy yet, but I'm sure after 20 days that it's a long journey to be under high security and not on your own schedule, and long days and short nights. It's funny, none of us even really know what time of day it is. We've been indoors since we checked in. At 3 o'clock, it feels like 8 a.m. We're like, "What time is it? Where are we?"
What did you bring with you to the competition?
I brought about six suitcases of luggage, which includes a lot of different sequins dresses - more sequin dresses than I have worn in my lifetime for these three weeks of my life. I think I have seven dresses that include beading and sequins, and probably more than 30 dresses in all. Daywear, rehearsal wear, workout clothes, and pajamas. So it's a lot of stuff. I always bring a journal when I come. This year, I brought The Power of Now. I have my meditation on my phone. It's the balance of all the craziness of this world, and finding the quiet moments to reconnect with yourself and stay true to yourself. You don't want to get wrapped up in all of the hoopla of Vegas and the competition, and lose your serenity during your time here. When you get to the final stage, you need to be stress-free and enjoy the moment.
How tough is that to manage all of that stress?
It's been like a life progression for me but I am a lot better at this now than I used to be. I started pageants three years ago. I just try to enjoy every moment and really be present because it's such a special time. It's unusual to have women from all over the world together in a room to talk about the different issues that we're dealing with in our countries, the different issues we deal with as women and how we have overcome those. We're all passionate people following our dreams and that's a magical thing be proud of.
I can't believe you've only been doing this for three years.
There are a lot of girls here that this their second pageant ever. The first pageant they won was their country. In the U.S., you have to win your state first and then you have to win Miss USA, and then you go on to Miss Universe. There are also girls that have been doing this since they were 3 years old.
Do you guys eat together?
Yeah. At the competition, we eat three meals a day together and it's basically an all-you-can-eat buffet in Vegas that has every different kind of food. So there's a lot of temptation there.
That's hard.
I know. It's actually really hard. I'm a crazy bread lover. I love carbs. I had oatmeal with berries as my breakfast, but I was inclined to have a croissant and, like, I don't need the croissant, I need the energy. I can have a boiled egg instead of the croissant and get the same calories - actually, less calories with the egg - and I would get a lot more energy out of it.
Do you guys ever end up talking about that kind of stuff together? Commenting on what you can or can't eat?
At Miss USA, there was definitely a lot of that. At Miss Universe, it's funny - there are so many cultures and countries, and everyone has different body type goals. There are girls that are not restricting at all because they're hoping to have curves in the competition. I find that very empowering and beautiful because we do get wrapped up about in our own country's beauty standards. The acceptance that there are so many standards of beauty in so many different body types is so cool. It's so important to see all of these beautiful women have a second helping of ice cream after dessert. I'm like, power to you. I love that. It's all about balance. You have to enjoy yourself sometimes. And I feel like if you can do that and feel great on stage then definitely do it.
I've read about how stressful it can be to be Miss USA in the sense that you have so little time for yourself. Have you had a similar experience?
I have the unique and wonderful position that I've been active in the entertainment industry for four years as a full-time actress and model. I'm a hustler. In my career, it has been up to me to figure out what city that I need to be in, at what time, and manage travel and do all of that. I'm used to 15-hour days. I'm used to doing a shoot and then getting on a plane that night and doing a shoot the next day. I have been living with a crazy schedule for so many years that being Miss USA doesn't even feel crazy to me. Now, I have all of these people that are doing all of these things that I used to do for myself. I have a travel manager that helps take care of me and plans my flights. Sometimes, I'm so amused at how many people are helping me throughout the day, even helping me with ideas for social media. It's an incredible team that works together. It's definitely a demanding schedule, it's a full-time job, but it's a great opportunity and a great year and I don't feel drained for energy yet, but maybe I will let you know at the end of the year.
How many people are on your team?
There are about 30 that work on a day-to-day basis. That's a mix of full-time employees, interns, and part-time employees. Once we get into production then there are hundreds. It's incredible how many people it takes to make these shows go on. When I walk into the office, there are an outstanding number of times where I would be the face on everyone's computer. One person is working on a press release, and one person is working on sending me out to create a new sponsorship relationship. It's very surreal to walk into the office, and I'm hearing people pitch me and talk about about me. It's a weird feeling.
What would people find surprising about training to be Miss USA and Miss Universe?
They don't understand how much we've done in terms of interview training. To answer a final question on stage is either going to break you or make you into a YouTube sensation. It's so important to answer questions and to know where you stand on important issues. That's something that gets overlooked. People don't understand the amount of pressure involved. When girls have blooper moments, they assume the girl's not intelligent, but the pressure gets to you.
You talked about how you've gotten better at pageant life over the past three years. What's that progression been like for you?
In the beginning, I would look at other girls that had won and try to emulate them. The longer I do this, the more I realize that it's a different winner every year. It's someone that's completely confident in herself. The longer I do this, the more I'm true to myself. It's been a progression of self-acceptance and growth and learning about what makes me unique. I've become more confident in myself.