Entertainment Journalism Fall 2015

ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALISMÂ Journal about clothes, music, food, craft, photography & travel

Issue 1

CONTENTS Review Looking Fabulous For Half Price

Profile

Interview with Samantha Plasencia

Personal Essay Big Hair, Fake Teeth, and Spray Tans

Desert Island Playlist Top Beauty Vloggers you Should be Watching Right Now!

The Scene Staying comfy 24/7

The Pitch Query to Austin Woman Magazine

The Feature Add a little bit of body text

Review: Looking Fabulous for Half Price: Local Designers come together to give Austinites sales of a Lifetime

Although we all may all love the style of Beyonce, Kylie Jenner, and Blake Lively, few have the funds to buy the top fashion trends of Spring 2015. Luckily, Austin understands that on top of school loans and ridiculously priced housing, it may be difficult to afford clothing that isnt't from Buffalo Exchange or Goodwill. On August 29th ­ 30th, Le Garage hosted over 70+ local designers, boutiques, and online stores at the Palmer Events Center on Barton Springs for their semi­annual event. This month each vendor brought their favorite Spring pieces to the show and offered them for ridiculously low prices. Although online it said that there were to be booths for all ages, genders, and even your home, the majority of the vendors catered to the Austin woman, which in my case wasn't a bad thing.

On Sunday, the second and last day of the event I attended, the shoppers were quite civilized at the majority of the booths. However, in a few of the pop up shops, women were digging through boxes and bins titled "$10­$15" and snagging the $8 grab bags full of random t­shirts.

Some of the booths were so overcrowded that it wasn't even worth the prices to dive into the sea of women. It may not have been as dangerous as Black Friday Shopping, but it wasn't an ideal situation for the faint of heart.

As I was browsing the clothes and jewelry for sale, I found a new store that was offering their items for 50­60% off. WIldflowers Boutique located at the Triangle in North Campus offered not only fashionable clothing, but also well sized dressing rooms instead of a spray tan triangle tent which you had to zip yourself into. I found about three items that I ended up wanting to buy. All together, the items should have been $120, instead, I was able to buy them for $50.

The jewelry booths were seeming to get the least attention. It was easy to pass by the vendors and not notice the detail the jewelry had. Toe rings seem to be making a trip back into the fashion world, why I do not know, but I was still not convinced enough to buy one.

Overall, Le Garage was a great experience and addition to the Austin scene. This semi­annual sale is a great excuse to get your girlfriends together and go shopping for new fashions. This event was truly an Austiny experience. It incorporated the Austin trend of thrifting, while still buying clothes that look expensive and stay within the trends. It brought together entrepreneurs, local businesses, and women looking for a good deal. It is sure to grow bigger each time it comes into town and more should become involved to support the Austin idea of supporting local businesses and bringing in new artists and designers.

Designer Profile: From the Runway to the Streets of ATX

Down­to­earth is the one way I would use to describe San Antonio designer Samantha Plasencia. The warmth and friendliness that oozed through my phone while discussing the history and talent of the former Project Runway designer is what made the experience even more interesting as a journalist. Although I wasn’t able to meet Plasencia face­to­ face and experience all of who she is and how she represents herself as on a day to day basis, I feel that just by hearing her voice and asking her the basic questios that I had on hand for her better abled me to figure out a piece of who she is as a person and a designer.

At the age of seventeen is when Samantha Plasencia knew that she wanted to turn her creativity into a career in fashion.

She never really knew that there was a place for her to take her creativeness and expand on it and college was never talked about in her family, so it was her teachers who really inspired her to become a fashion designer and apply to college to pursue her dream. At twenty seven years old, Plasencia has now been designing for ten years ​ and just recently moved to the city of Austin from San Antonio one year ago.

In her ten years of being a fashion designer, Plasencia has accomplished many things that some designers only dream of. She was a part of Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio Fashion Weeks, the WERK fashion show during Austin Pride week, and most notably she was a contestant on Bravo’s Project Runway during season 13. Although there has been some horror stories about being a contestant on other reality shows, Plasencia described her experience on Project Runway as the best experience of her life. The only negative side to the experience she said was the fact that since she was not dramatic and decided to stay focused on her designs, she was told “Auf Wiedersehen” early.She didn’t feel that when she was eliminated it was the right choice based on her design and instead was told that she was “too likable” to move on further into the competition. Since it is a “reality show”, the producers were looking for someone to cause controversy and drama on their show to continue on for another episode rather that Plasencia. However, even though she felt that she deserved to stay on the show longer and show more off her talent, she said that she wouldn’t have changed a thing about what she did while filming in New York.

Plasencia’s style of designs has metamorphosed from avant­garde to a more relaxed, sporty, street style. When I asked her who her dream client was, she said that in the beginning of her career when she designed more theatrical pieces, all she wanted to do was to dress Lady Gaga. However, when she changed her designs to fit a more broad audience, she said that she would love to dress Rachel McAdams, Selena Gomez, or any of the new teen act​ ors or actresses from Disney Channel. When describing her inspiration Plasencia said that it was her father who was the creative one in the family and her mother who was the business savvy, organized one out of the two. She then felt that those two traits from her parents stuck to her, which she said she is most grateful for as an up and coming designer. Additionally, when taking inspiration from other designers, her muse was Alexander Wang and his effortless sporty designs esthetic. She said that when designing herself, she is strongly impacted by music and the experiences in her life. When asked about her most favorite part of her job, she described how since being a part of Project Runway and having so many doors opened for her, she has been able to give back to her community, help aspiring designers and young girls to develop their style and design esthetic and inspire them to take their creativity into their careers.

Plasencia said that the most rewarding part of what she does is being able to help others accomplish their dreams and help young designers as well as her fellow designers to be the best that they can be.

Plasencia aspires to have 2016 as her most successful year thus far. She sees next year as the time that she will grow the most and hopefully have her designs in local boutiques around Austin that fit her design esthetic and personality. As of now, Plasencia sells al​ l of her designs on her Etsy page and makes everything that she sells uniquely by hand in her home on the floor of a spare bedroom. Now in North Austin, her and her boyfriend will be moving down to central Austin where she will be able to have a room in her home designated as her design space where she will be able to have more space to create more designs than she is currently sewing up now.

For her next 2016 Spring/Summer collection, you can find Plasencia at her show in San Antonio on November 6th. Her last collection kept to her black and white signature style, but she added a little pop of color with a cobalt blue, so it will be interesting to see what new fun designs she will create next. Be sure to check out Samantha Plasencia’s designs and upcoming shows and events on her Facebook (Samantha Plasencia) and Instagram (@samanthaplasencia) pages as well as her website www.samanthaplasencia.com

Personal Essay: Big Hair, Fake Teeth, and Spray Tans

When thinking of competition many think of basketball, football, or baseball. The first thing I think of is pageantry. In the eyes of those outside of the small world of pageantry, one may think of the dumb answers given on stage during Miss USA or Miss America. Many think of how stuck up and self­centered all of the beauty queens seem to be while parading around in bikinis on national television. The fact of the matter is that those outside of the pageant world do not truly understand what the so­called dumb beauty queens do for their communities or what they do beforehand to get to nationals.

The stigma attached to pageantry and titleholders is partly due to the “hit” reality TLC show Toddlers and Tiaras. About nine out of ten times that I mention I compete in pageants, someone asks me “so like Toddlers and Tiaras??” This question truly irritates me almost as much as when someone asks me if I’m Mormon when I say I’m from Utah. When someone compares what I do as a state titleholder to toddlers kicking and screaming while their five hundred pound mothers are doing their routines for them in the back of the hotel ballroom, I lose all interest in getting to know that person, never mind be friends with them. I understand that not everyone understands the pageant world and that they may only know very few facts about the competitions. However, to compare a group of strong, intelligent, and philanthropic women to toddlers who are living out their mother’s dream to be beautiful, is like comparing a professional football team to a little league that is running around with a ball and having no idea that they are playing a rule based game.

The main premise of Toddlers and Tiaras was to show how crazy “stage moms” are when it comes to entering their child in a pageant. Many of the children being tossed into these competitions were unwilling and were pressured into being spray tanned and poked and prodded at with fake hair, fake teeth, fake eyelashes, and pounds of makeup on their faces. These children that were on the reality show were only competing in these toddler pageants because their mothers were making them do so, not because they were wanting to compete in a pageant. Most of them had no idea what was even going on. Although there were a select few of the contestants who were genuinely excited to dress up and be on stage, for the most part the show was focused on showing how crazy stage moms or dads can truly be.

The whole reason I started doing pageants five years ago was because I had been volunteering with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for years and I wanted to be a spokesmodel for them and promote them as a state titleholder. I wanted more people to understand the importance of animal adoption, spay and neuter, and fostering animals who are in the shelters. I wanted to do something good for an organization and cause that was so close to my heart and I thought that by being a titleholder I would be able to do that. When you win a pageant, you aren’t just awarded a crown and sash and then finished. When you are awarded a crown, it is like you are awarded a microphone for what you believe in and what you want to tell the world. As a titleholder, you are required to do appearances and give speeches and different events all around your state or even the country. You are able to get people’s attention more easily because you are representing that state or country and because people want to hear what a pageant girl might possibly be saying, you are able to reach all demographics about whatever you are passionate about whether it be animal adoption, breast cancer awareness, or bullying. Many of these women in pageants are strong and intelligent women and many have started their own non profits because they were able to have so many doors opened for them as titleholders.

When I turned fifteen, I sent in an application to compete for Miss Teen Utah USA, and my experience at that age was completely different than what is shown on TLC. In this setting, the director banned parents from being a part of the experience during “pageant weekend.” During this three day event, the only time we could see our parents was after preliminaries for only about ten minutes and after finals when it was all over and the new winner was crowned. Although I’m sure there are still plenty of stage moms in the pageants for older girls and women, they were not allowed to bring their competitiveness and negativity backstage. I was five years old when I learned about the world of pageants. I was a Pee Wee Ute cheerleader when one of my best friends that I cheered with told me about her other hobby. She described how she would get dressed up, have her hair and makeup done, and go on stage to win crowns and trophies every other weekend. I have always loved nice clothes and makeup, so when I heard that I could go on stage, perform and wear nice things, I told my mom I wanted to be a part of what Angelique was doing. Reluctantly, my mom agreed and I was entered into my first pageant. When we arrived at the Cinderella Pageant, my mother was in shock.

This pageant was considered “natural.” A natural pageant means that the child cannot have anything fake on them­fake teeth, spray tan, wigs,etc­and should be naturally beautiful. While she was putting lip gloss on me and scrunching my already naturally curly hair, mothers were teasing and ironing their daughters hair and putting makeup on them like they were ready to hit the town and go out with their toddler girlfriends instead of competing in a “natural pageant.” In the end I was awarded with the title of Salt Lake City’s Tiny Tot and was to go on to compete at the state level. However, after state when I was first runner­up, my mother told me, no more. She decided that for me to compete in another pageant it would have to be when I was capable of doing it on my own and didn’t need her backstage getting me ready for the competition. This was because of the “stage moms” of the pageant who were having their own competition among themselves comparing their own child to everyone else’s. The competitiveness between mothers was overwhelmingly intense and one of the most negative environments that my mom had ever experienced.

In the five years that I have been a part of the pageant world, I have only met one girl that I did not like. I have competed in five different pageants and have easily competed with over two hundred girls. I can say good things about and truly loved being able to compete in a pageant with each and every girl I have met. Some of the girls I even still keep in touch with and have been invited to their weddings. My experience with pageants has been life changing.

No one truly realizes how amazing pageants can be for the girls that are competing in them. Before you arrive for pageant weekend, there are a boat load of things that need to be done, and I’m not talking about bleaching your teeth and getting a spray tan (although, I have to admit, both of those things are important as well). When in a pageant, it is important to have a platform, something that you believe in and want to promote as a titleholder. In order to successfully promote your platform it is important to be involved in the community and to volunteer with certain non profit charities in your area. Especially in the Miss America system (MAO) it is important to have a high GPA and when you apply for a pageant in MAO, it is required to submit your latest report card. Interview and on­stage question can be a make it or break it moment for girls during the competition, and because of this it is necessary for contestants to read the news, watch the news,

watch the news, and know what is going on in the world around them that is important and life­ changing, not just what is happening lately on Keeping up with the Kardashians. The on stage question always seems to be the most talked about portion of the competition in the media. It makes me want to scream whenever I see a talk show or a comedian or anyone for that matter play all of the videos of stupid on stage answers given at Miss USA or Miss America. I know that at times there are some girls that compete in pageants that may not be the most educated on events that are happening around the world. However, we have to realize that those women are on stage in front of thousands of people­including a group of judges who are literally judging them­and millions more people watching on national television. I’m pretty sure that anyone, no matter if they are smart or not, would be both intimidated and unable to speak in that setting. It takes a massive amount of courage for these women to put themselves in a environment to be judged on their intelligence, their fitness, their community service, and their beauty all at the same time. These women who decide they want to be titleholders have to literally work their asses off and eat chicken and vegetables for months on end in order to be in the best physical health possible, and trust me it is not fun. But even after all of this hard work and stress of trying to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be­it is the most rewarding feeling in the world to know that you accomplished the goal you had set for yourself. For me, I am truly addicted to pageants. Every time one is over, I want to start preparing for the next one.

Pageants are more than just shiny crowns, spray tans, and tiny screaming tots running around a stage while mommy is in the back yelling. Pageants are among one of the most influential experiences of my life. I can’t imagine myself being who I am today if I decided not to compete in a pageant five years ago. I have gained much more confidence in myself and my intelligence. I have been able to develop speaking skills that have allowed me to do better in school, made me able to be confident in job interviews­and land the job­, and has been a factor in my choice of major­communication and journalism­in college. I have been given many exciting opportunities around the country and have met many influential and inspiring people along the way. You see, when you watch a pageant whether it be Miss USA, Miss America, or even the rinky dink pageants on Toddlers and Tiaras, you are not getting the full experience of who these girls are and what is happening before the contestants hit the stage. The fact that so many have the wrong idea of what a pageant is and think it comes easy to be on stage answering questions or strutting around in a swimsuit is disheartening. I would love to see one of the haters of pageants to compete in one and really see how much patience, time, and hard work it takes to put everything together for one final day of competition. It doesn’t just take big hair, fake teeth, and a spray tan to win a pageant. It is much more than that. Pageantry is a sport.

Desert Island Playlist: Top Beauty Vloggers you Should be Watching Right Now!

Youtube and other social video sites have given people from all walks of life the ability to express themselves in a brand new way. Vlogging is the video version of a blog which allows someone to form a web television show. By simply sitting in front of a camera and talk about anything they are passionate about, they are able to share their opinions and input with the world.

So, what classifies someone as a “good beauty vlogger”? Obviously, the person has to be able to actually know what their doing. It is helpful when they have new and creative ideas on what new trends are popular at the time, and they need to be able to connect with their audience. Each of these five women are able to show off their incredible talents with hair and makeup with viewers from all over the world. They all stick to their unique styles and brands and don’t let anyone stand in their way of being themselves. Not only are they all talented in the beauty world, but each are inspirational in who they are.

Kandee Johnson Kandee Johnson began her YouTube journey over six years ago and has since expanded her videos from daily beauty tips and tricks to transforming herself into all of our favorite celebrities and characters. Although we may all want to try transforming into Angelina Jolie, we may have to just watch her videos and day dream about it instead. She incorporates her family and her role as a mother and wife into her videos and isn’t afraid to be who she is: bright, happy, and unique.

Angela Lanter Angela is a beauty blogger, vlogger, and instagramer. Her videos trend all over social media, and she sure knows how to whip up the perfect messy bun. She is a newlywed who loves to share her personal life with her viewers. She makes you feel like she is one of your best girlfriends sharing her favorite beauty tips with you. If you want to learn how to look effortlessly beautiful with a simple cat eye and beachy waves, check out hello gorgeous!

Nikkie Tutorials From the Netherlands, Nikkie began her makeup tutorial journey in 2008. Now a freelance hair and makeup artist, Nikkie is able to provide her audience with the tricks to turn yourself into anyone you want to become. Not only does she have some mad makeup skills, she also embraces who she is.

She isn’t afraid to show her imperfect natural complexion and doesn’t consider herself a model type of woman. However, that is what makes her such an amazing vlogger. She inspires women of all shapes and sizes...one lipstick at a time.

Gigi Gorgeous Beginning her YouTube journey eight years ago as male, Gigi Loren Lazzarato let her subscribers follow her on her journey to become who she truly wanted to be. Gigi began with a focus on makeup tutorials and OOTD’s and although still maintaining that image, she is now an activist for the transgender community and providing inspiration the trans community, and those who just want to learn how to look on fleek.

Carli Bybel One of the most successful YouTube vloggers is Carli Bybel and her Beauty Bybel. From her humble New Jersey roots, she has been able to create her own makeup, eyelash, and hair extension line. She is one to follow for inspiration for a date night look and for your business aspirations. Once you see her OOTD’s, you’ll want to have everything she owns in your own closet and makeup bag.

The Scene: Comfy 24/7

Lululemon, UnderArmor, and Fabletics are just a few of the companies that supply “basic white girls” with their uniform: yoga pants. Everyone struggles with whether or not to go to the gym, or. Either way, we decide to slip on our Nike’s and stretchy pants. When this “sporty” trend came about originally, it was just girls wearing their workout gear to the grocery store, and running errands around town after actually working out. Nowadays, it seems that no one works out or even has a gym membership that wears the getup. Our society is so obsessed with being comfortable, that we don’t even judge those that aren’t actually wearing regular clothes. Instead, those of the opposite sex actually encourage the use of yoga pants due to our society’s other obsession: the big booty.

Everywhere you look, whether it be out to dinner, at work, or in class, girls are wearing the tightest pants created in history. It seems that the appeal to the attire is that yoga pants are the Spanx of the pants world and there are very few who can actually make the yoga spanx look bad. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I do not like or even engage in this fashion scene. In fact, I’m one of those girls that you see in class every day with a different pair of Lululemon’s on. I am indeed all about the lazy/cute look but I even know that I’m crossing some fashion lines. In my defense, I am actually a member of LA Fitness—I have the card on my keychain to prove it. I just find it much easier to put on some yoga pants, sneakers and a t shirt when I roll out of bed and head off to class for the day. I’m sure that everyone in my classes thinks that those must be the only clothes that I own and that I prefer to look like a homeless person while paying a $40,000 tuition. I like to think that I make up for my lazy looks when I go to work and go downtown and I showcase my newest and finest TopShop purchases.

I do admit, I have come close to putting on some yoga pants and pretend like they were fashionable leggings simply because I threw on some heels and a fancy crop top along with it. However, lately there are brands that are making bank on the “basic white girl trying to be edgy” trend and creating “sporty” collections. In all actuality, “sporty” clothing is just even more expensive leggings, crop tops, and t shirts that you wouldn’t dare break a sweat in. However, it is a much more appealing title than “I just threw on my exercise clothes because I was too lazy to put on pants with a zipper.”

There are tons of videos that mock the girls that wear yoga pants and how lazy and terrible we all are for not wearing real clothes. Well, all I can think about that is that they must not know just how amazing you they can make you feel when you slip them on in the morning. They make you feel super skinny and athletic even when you’re not, you can stretch the suckers all the way up to your boobs and not have a muffin top, you can fall asleep in them after pulling an all­nighter–whether that be due to studying or drinking—and you can totally tell people that you just had a killer workout when you actually just stayed home, ate pizza and watched Netflix all day. Sometimes it’s just too exhausting to go out into the world, so yoga pants just makes it bearable to get out of bed and do adulty things.

It has been debated that yoga pants are the devil and should be banned. Yeah, I’m serious. Apparently they are looked at as a sin and whoever wears them are sinful. In the short post by Veronica Partridge Why I chose to No Longer Wear Leggings, she explains her reasoning for no longer wearing the “bacon of clothing.” The 25 year old wrote, “For the past several months, I have been having a conviction weighing heavy on my heart. I tried ignoring it for as long as I could until one day a conversation came up amongst myself and a few others (both men and women).” She continued, “The conversation was about leggings and how when women wear them it creates a stronger attraction for a man to look at a woman’s body and may cause them to think lustfulthoughts.” After speaking with her husband whom confirmed her concerns about the pants, she made a life altering decision to get rid of them. Now, in my opinion, if a man cannot control his eyes and own thoughts

about our butts, that’s his own problem. I’m not going to change my decisions and “fashion” choices based on a man’s inability to control his “lustful” thoughts. The pants are way too comfortable to give up due to someone else not approving—or in this case, over­approving.

Yoga pants are the fashion statement of the past few years. Later on in history, people may look back on 2013­2015 and will wonder why the hell yoga pants were considered pants, just as gaucho pants are looked back at now. However, almost everyone of every gender, age, and style are guilty of loving the new trend. It is hard to get away from. There are yoga pants in all stores ­ although they may be named “leggings”, they are the same thing ­ all over social media and tv and on all college campuses. People are obsessed with “atheleisure” and it is due to our obsession with constantly being comfortable in our busy and stressful lives.

Being comfortable makes the day just a little bit better.

Yoga pants are God’s sweet gift to this world and I cannot imagine my life without them. I have evolved from the velour Juicy Couture sweat suits to the Lululemon stretchy pants and I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. I have no shame in my “Atheleisure” game and encourage all to join my #yogagirlsquad. Because I mean, why not? The Kardashians do it, why can’t we?

The Pitch: Query to Austin Woman Magazine

Dear Shawnee McClanahan, When thinking of competition, many think of basketball, football, or baseball.

The first thing I think of is pageantry. In the eyes of those outside of the small world of pageantry, one may think of the dumb answers given on stage during Miss USA or Miss America. Many think of how self­centered all of the beauty queens seem to be while parading around in bikinis on national television. The fact of the matter is that those outside of the pageant world do not truly understand what the participants do for their communities.

Austin Woman Magazine covers philanthropy, and strong women. Readers would appreciate learning about the world of pageantry. Not everyone realizes what pageants do for young girls and women and tend to have misconceptions. In Texas, pageantry is taken very seriously and your readers would appreciate to learn the real side of pageants.

My article would incorporate personal experiences as a former city and state titleholder as well as interviews with fellow competitors and titleholders. These sources will help readers connect with a type of person that they may have thought they never would—a beauty queen. I would like to keep my article somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 words for your “people” articles.

I am a Junior Communication major at St. Edwards University with a focus in journalism. Due to my year as Miss Teen Utah United States, Miss Austin United States, and my five years as a contestant in the Miss USA, Miss America, and Miss United States systems, I am a perfect fit to write this piece. I chose to become a pageant contestant because I wanted to be able to make a difference in my community and my love for Austin is shown through my involvement in non profits ­ including Austin Pets Alive, Best Friends Animal Society, and Breast Cancer charities ­ and when I compete.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I look forward to hearing your comments.

Sincerely, Danielle Johnson (801) 560­2655

The Feature: The Onnit Pageant Girl

Onnit Academy and DeFranco's Gym at Onnit Academy was created in 2010 with an idea to make cutting edge nutritional supplement combinations. Their mission is to inspire peak performance through a combination of unique products and actionable information. Combining bleeding­edge science, earth­grown nutrients, and time­tested strategies from top athletes and medical professionals, they are dedicated to providing their customers with supplements, foods, and fitness equipment aimed at helping people achieve a new level of well­being that they call Total Human Optimization.

DeFranco's Gym is where all of the blood, sweat, and magic happens for Onnit's most inspired clients. This is where the training takes place. In the beginning of November, I signed up for the six week challenge with Onnit and DeFranco's gym. I decided to do this to get stronger mentally and physically and to prep for my next pageant, Miss Texas United States. The first day of my six week training, I was greeted by some of the best looking people in Austin. Not only were their faces good looking and workout clothes on trend, but their bodies were some of the most in shape and athletic that I have ever seen in my life.

To say I was intimidated, would be an understatement. I felt out of shape and afraid that I was going to be the one that they all thought was out of my element. Unfortunately, at that point I had already paid my fees and knew that I had to go through with it.

I decided to train with Eric Leija, a 22 year old known as the "Primal Swoledier", for my 12 private sessions during my six weeks with Onnit. My first session with him, I easily thought that I would either pass out or throw up from the exhaustion of not working out that hard in over a year. I would complain and whine over what he was having me do, but Leija never decided to feel bad for me. Later on, I understood why after watching his workout videos posted on his instagram page ­ if you want to see what a "primal swoledier" is just look it up @primal.swoledier.

After two weeks of training at Onnit, I understood that just because I wasn't an MMA fighter, an Olympic champion, or a football player like their other clients, didn't mean that I couldn't train there. If anything, I've been treated like I am an inspiration by stepping out of my comfort zone and working out with the big dogs. Instead of acting like I was some whimpy young girl, like I thought others at Onnit would, they have acted like I am one of them. I've been able to join in on classes that have massive meatheads and strong athletic women and keep up with each exercise that they are doing.

By training with Onnit, I have been able to gain muscle and confidence in who I am and who I can become by trying new things. I've been able to prove that just because I'm a pageant girl doesn't mean that I can't keep up with athletes and meathead gym fanatics. Instead, I have been able to prove that I am just as tough as they are and I'm the Onnit pageant girl.

Authors Bio:

Danielle Johnson is an Austin based writer and a communication major at St. Edwards University. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Danielle moved to Austin in 2013 for the school and the hundreds of events and places that Austin has to offer. She is now a Junior at St. Edwards University. She is formerly Miss Teen Utah United States, Miss Teen Austin United States, and is preparing to compete at Miss Texas United States in 2016. She loves to travel, eat, shop, and listen to music all over Austin and hopes to become the next Austin news anchor.