King Of The Lilacs Rhinestone In The Rough
Truth be told, I couldn’t care less about being Lilac King. I’m not even terribly clear on what this whole Lilac business is about, beyond it representing Spokane. I’ve often seen pageants and parades, watched perfect specimens of humanity blind people with dazzling smiles and gleaming hair and thought to myself, “Yeah, sure, Queen of Silicon, Prince of Unreality or Melrose Place. Yawn. Where’s the remote?”
Yet, I occasionally find myself wondering what people would think if a “normal” person found his or her way up there. By normal, I don’t mean that pageant winners and models aren’t people. That distinction is the other side of the coin, one that TV viewers are sometimes unaware of. I think of normal as the large majority of people who aren’t in the sliver of a percent that almost everyone is striving to be like.
This is where I come in.
I suppose I’m not normal in the sense that I look like everyone else. To be quite frank, I look rather dopey. I have sort of a homely face: flat nose, big teeth and squinty eyes peering through thick glasses. I’m the 98-pound wimp who took all the beatings in gym classes. I’m the weirdo who dresses in plain old jeans, name-brandless shirts and old Air Force overcoats. I’m the freak who keeps his hair really long.
Aside from conforming to hygiene standards, I’m every prom date’s nightmare. But I can consider myself normal because I’m not a star, model or anything of the sort.
Were someone like me to be the one standing next to plastic smiles and rhinestone crowns, the majority would be represented. Reassured in the thought that “Hey, if that shmuck can get up there, there’s a chance for me, too!” It would be a reminder that, yes, those are real people up there.
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Shawn Mulligan is more than a creative guy. He’s fun, inventive, daring and a darn good sport. He’s your Lilac King. Shawn, a senior at Gonzaga Prep, not only wrote the winning essay to Our Generation’s Lilac King contest, but he let a photographer drag him to the top of a rocky outcrop to pose for a regal picture with a bouquet of lilacs. He even wore the cape. As Lilac King, Shawn gets nothing but notoriety; the real royalty (Queen Carrie Keyes and her court) will be featured in the Armed Forces Torchlight Parade this Saturday. But Shawn wins our undying admiration as a guy who’s willing to laugh at himself and at pageantry. Thanks to the other entrants; you’re princes in our eyes. Here’s Shawn’s winning essay: