The Night of 10 Trillion Elsas (+ Meet the #ShowMeYourElsa Contest Winner!)

Photo via @littlegoldpixel

 When I came up with the very last-minute, very-random idea to run my #ShowMeYourElsa contest on Instagram, I never dreamed that it would actually take off. I was honestly praying that at least 20 people would enter so that I wouldn't look like a complete idiot. Then, people actually started to enter! I watched in awe as the numbers climbed over the weekend, adorable photo after adorable photo, until there were over 650 entries! It was exciting, it was riveting, it was...terrifying.

Because somewhere around the 300th adorable photo, I realized that I would actually have to choose one of these adorable girls to be the winner, which felt impossible. I really, genuinely wanted everyone to be a winner. 

But I knew that would be a cop-out. So I picked one. And it was hard. Let me explain briefly how I chose: It was not a "child beauty pageant," that's for sure. (Thank god because every one of the girls was beautiful--seriously!) I also did not choose based on how "professional" the costumes looked. (They ranged from store-bought to intricately homemade to tee shirts--it didn't matter. You could tell from the smiles on the girls' faces that they felt awesome in every single getup.) 

Instead, my decision was really based on a gut feeling. The photos that jumped out at me the most had a lot of personality and just that certain little something that made them pop. And, now, the winner...

It's... Delilah! 

This adorable little five-year-old grabbed me instantly with her sass, attitude, and uncanny ability to channel the real Elsa (plus, check out that supersized wig!). It was only after I had chosen her as the winner, and had gotten in touch with her mom to verify that she existed, did I find out that Delilah is a survivor of neuroblastoma cancer (she's also an identical twin!). Wow. What an awesome little lady. She'll win a fun Frozen beauty surprise, plus a selection of beauty goodies for her mom. Congrats, Delilah! 

And now, some of the runners up are below. They honestly came sooo close and made my decision super tough. Congrats to you guys, too! 
And finally, I just had to share a few other favorite Elsas that made me smile this weekend. 

There's the "B*tch stole my look" Elsas: (*Fun fact: One person commented on her photo that there were 700 kids in her child's elementary school--and 300 of them dressed up as Elsa.)


The Four-Legged Elsas:


The Spooky Elsas:

The Baby Elsas:

The Awesome Hair and/or Makeup Elsas:

The Sassy, Super Expressive Elsas:

To see more adorable Elsas, check out the #ShowMeYourElsa hashtag on Instagram. Big thanks to everyone who entered the contest. I had so much fun doing it and it actually really made me think. The Disney Princess culture gets a lot of crap (and I often have my own reservations), but this contest made me see it in a different light. 

Yeah, the whole princess phenomenon raises important questions about things like feminism, consumerism, and self-esteem, but it can also do something wonderful, too. In a way, #ShowMeYourElsa was a microcosm of the millions of girls around the country, from all walks of life, who on one night, donned a blue dress, a braid or a wig, sang a shaky rendition of "Let It Go," and freaking owned it. In their own way, they showed that no matter how different our lives or backgrounds may be, in the end, we're all really so similar to each other. 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted. I spent all weekend staring at your gorgeous daughters' faces--you did not make it easy for me. Congrats again to Delilah!