Every girl child aspires to represent her country on an international pedestal: yes, beauty pageants take care of the vulnerable and serve as the drive towards common values

I grew up in a township where beauty pageants only served as a form of entertainment - entertaining certain segments of society. The community halls used to be filled with raptures whenever these weekend events took place.

There was no linkage between societal development and the accepted morals in building a girl child. Hence, it became difficult to ask for permission to attend these events, let alone asking for entrance fees from our parents. The entrance fees did not deter us from enjoying one of the few entertainment events in our townships. The poor design and lack of maintenance of our Community Halls enabled us to enjoy the shows for free (watching through broken windows and/or cracked walls) – saving us from making any request to our God-fearing parents, who believed beauty pageants were against His will.

The hosting and the attendance to these events was sometimes viewed with anger by those who believed that conversion into Christianity to them, was nothing but like the entry to the battle of Armageddon’s. Not sure whether this characterization was mostly influenced by the uninterrupted view we used to have to the temple of God, or the body of well-shaped young women - of which to them this was a direct fight by the wicked society opposed to God.

This entertainment used to be accompanied by the ever-energetic Mapantsula dancers. These energetic and acrobatic dancers used to prepare our eyes to see smiling ladies in their bikinis crisscrossing the stage in single file like ants collecting sugar during the summer season. The audience will clap, ululate and sometimes shout loud calling names of their favorite participant(s). In most instances, the winners of these community pageants were guaranteed front seats in all township activities and sometimes with a guaranteed reward of being a girlfriend of a well-known township taxi boss or most feared criminal.

The only time the community would get to know the names of the beautiful Queen and her Princes was when they accede to the podium for crowning - with a smile, ululations, and tears of joy from parents and members of the society.

Nowadays things have changed. It’s no longer only about choosing the fairest of them all or who’s going to take the front seat in a local taxi and/or be used by big companies to launch/sell their new products. Beauty pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, talent, character, charitable involvement, communication skills through private interviews with judges.

The entrance to these beauty pageants competitions is guided by a certain set of rules (e.g. no tattoos and not yet married, never been pregnant) and most participants are members of various modeling schools/agencies. They get assigned social development activities that make them understand the society outside their respective family upbringings (values). These activities also give parents an insight into the beauty pageants in modern society and how the girl child can contribute to the well-being of the vulnerable community members.

The purpose of corporate social responsibility is to give back to the community, take part in philanthropic causes, and provide positive social value. The drive towards positive social values is not an easy task. These exercises that contestants get assigned therefore give support to the community projects for purposes of social cohesion.

The lack of proper support to the industry has resulted in the unfortunate manipulation by those with financial resources. The noble objectives of the beauty pageant industry have been wrongly projected through coverage by mainstream media. The reformation of beauty pageants has also forced big corporates not to view beauty as a tool to maximize their brand visibility, or as one of the ways socio-corporate responsibility can be defined and understood by the executives of the big corporates.

From my observations, the activities that get assigned to these young beauties have positively connected companies’ products with the community. The happiness and joy that they bring to the vulnerable members of the community far surpass any form of daily happiness.  

The beauty pageant participants are now able to showcase their skills without any fear of victimization by any member of a religious organization or by those who use their cultural beliefs as a tool of oppression. But also they are a modern way of development and empowerment of a girl child. These girls have been able to dispel any myth about beauty and they have proven to the world that it’s not only about smiling nor crisscrossing the stage, while entertaining the audience, but also to prove to the world that they are able to promote unity and peace.

Most of the titleholders have post-school qualifications and sometimes after their year of reign, they get absorbed by various International Organisations.  

Our role as a society has been clearly defined by these young ladies. The active participation of a girl child within her community gives society and the world the assurance that life will continue without any form of oppression and discrimination.

In this world, all girls aspire to represent their country on an international platform. Hundreds of thousands of beauty contests are held annually, but there is the ‘Big Five’ (depending on the area you come from), which are considered as the most prestigious, widely covered, and broadcast by media: Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International, Miss Earth, and Miss Supranational.

Miss World is the oldest running international beauty pageant. It was formed in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Miss World for 2021 will be the 70^th edition of the Miss World pageant to be held on December 16, 2021, at Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  

Miss Universe also will be celebrating their 70^th birthday. It will be held on December 12, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. Andrea Meza of Mexico will crown her successor.

Miss International 2022 will be the 60th edition of the Miss International pageant. The coronation was initially scheduled in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it moved at least twice; first in 2021, and later to 2022. Sireethorn Leearamwat of Thailand will crown her successor.

Miss Earth 2021 was the 21st edition of the Miss Earth pageant. This is the second time that the pre-pageant activities and coronation night were conducted virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Lindsey Coffey of the United States crowned Destiny Wagner of Belize as her successor.

Miss Supranational is an annual international event, started in 2009, and most contents held in Poland. Miss Supranational was the 12^th edition of the Supranational pageant. It was on the 21^st of August 2021.

The only challenge that we are faced within South Africa is the lack of a clear supporting framework for beauty pageants by the authorities. South Africa is a member of the United Nations. The United Nations fully supports beauty pageants and it has been able to give clear guidelines to some of the International beauty pageants, like Miss Eco International, which is based on the 17 sustainable developmental goals.

The Department of Sport, Art, and Culture is solely responsible for promoting, supporting, developing, and protecting the arts, culture, and heritage of South Africa. In many instances, the leadership of this Department has been found wanting. The inability to understand the importance of having a solid emancipation program for the girl child is a recipe for disaster.   

The absence of proper beauty pageant guidelines in South Africa has negatively affected Socio-Corporate investment. This has created space for unethical executives to expand their corruption tentacles. Institutions that have bought international rights find it difficult to get support or funding from the government and business. This, therefore, make it difficult for non-governmental organizations to organize activities that are aimed at uplifting the life of a girl child and to contribute to driving to common values.

 

Written by: Mfanafuthi Sithebe (public servant and a social justice activist).