Sporting shorts, a T-shirt, a shoulder bag, and a sweatshirt tied around her neck, Sophomore Lauren Melcher triumphed in the bookstore’s “Live Mannequin Contest.”
On Tuesday, five students lined up in front of the bookstore desk, striking a pose. The contest lasted for only 12 minutes, but the winners received valuable prizes. Melcher got to keep the entire outfit she was wearing.
Senior Natalia Schniererova came in second place, and won by voters’ choice, receiving a $50 gift card to the bookstore.
This unique event was held by the College Bookstore Association along with Angie Berry, trade book coordinator, who received the idea and developed it into a working game.
From Oct. 14-17, students had the chance to apply by filling out a small entry form with their names and contact information. On Oct. 20, five contestants were chosen — freshman Mary Blendermann, freshman Rebekah Roundey, Melcher, sophomore Jonathan Wolff, and Schniererova. They each wore a pre-selected outfit of their choice, up to $150 in value. Each contestant had to choose a pose approved by the bookstore and take a picture of that pose so that they didn’t try to change it on the day of the contest. Whoever was able to hold their pose the longest was deemed the winner.
Though the first-place winner won by holding her pose the longest, the second-place winner won by voters’ choice. Berry thought this would be fun, since it would give the rest of the students a chance to be involved in the contest.
“This way, for example, if a girl is in the contest, she can come be supported by all of her sorority sisters and friends,” Berry said.
The only rule was simple — no moving.
“The contestants were only allowed to blink,” Berry said. “If you sneezed, twitched your pinky, or smiled — you were out!”
This task wasn’t as easy as it may have seemed.
“Holding the pose was much more difficult than I imagined,” Melcher said. “I knew I wouldn’t have made it past 15 minutes so I am glad it ended in 12!”
Melcher, however, had a strategy.
“I purposefully looked down and stared at one spot on the ground the whole time,” she said. “I knew I would start laughing once I looked at anyone I recognized. Luckily I didn’t see any staring faces. I just heard a few jokes that I had to resist laughing at.”
Schniererova also told of her experience.
“It was easy for first couple of minutes, but then my fingers started to shake and it started to be mentally challenging. I wish I would have done push-ups or something to prepare for this!”
Altogether, though, the winners seemed to enjoy the experience.
“I didn’t even notice, let alone care, that people were. watching,” Schniererova said. “I loved having all of my Chi Omega sisters there supporting me through the pain. It just made it easier to concentrate.”
“I had a lot of fun,” Melcher said, “I have never done anything like that before, and it’s always fun to try new things.”
The location of the contest, in front of the bookstore desk, most likely helped the students maintain their positions for an extended period of time because they wouldn’t have to feel claustrophobic confined in a small space. Berry had thought about having the contestants stand in the windows, but she realized it would be too hot.
“I’ve had to be in those windows when I’m putting up decorations,” she said. “It would have been way too stuffy!”
Berry said the event was just for fun.
“We were trying to come up with different ways to invite faculty and students to come together at the bookstore,” she said. “The contest was a creative way to do this.”
This is the first time this event has ever taken place at Hillsdale College, so it was experimental — however, Berry hopes to continue it in the future. She may even hold it during homecoming week — a time where many students and faculty will naturally gather.
“I might do it during the wing-eating contest, because there will already be a lot of people in the union by the bookstore,” she said.
