Pretoria - Beauty queen Relebohile Pitso sees herself as a game-changer who strives to erase negative stereotypes of unmarried women and give hope.
She believes unmarried women are getting a raw deal from some members of society, who judge them and gossip about their marital status.
The former Miss Free State semi-finalist, who hails from Ladybrand, expects her experience in the fashion and beauty industry to set her apart when she competes for the Miss Bachelorette SA (MBSA) 2021 crown in Polokwane on Saturday.
“Unmarried women have always been judged and often looked at as violating cultural norms, while they also usually have to battle gossip. So I wanted to give hope to the hopeless and empower women,” said Pitso.
“As women, we need to connect with each other individually, rather than connect with issues. Sometimes we fail to pay attention to the people around us. I want to be mindful and intentional in how I reach out, particularly to those who are in need of physiological and self-actualisation needs.”
Pitso, 27, who was raised by a single mother, obtained a BTech degree in Operations Management at the Tshwane University of Technology.
She is one of the 11 women who will be strutting their stuff in the hope of impressing the Miss Bachelorette SA judges and bagging the R100 000 first prize along with the bragging rights.
However, the catwalk is not a new thing for Pitso.
She is a part-time model who runs a non-governmental organisation that does outreach projects for youth awareness.
“When I was growing up, I was the tallest among my peers at primary school. During the class photos I would always be placed in the last row with the boys and my aunts and my elder cousins would always say I’d become a model.”
Pitso says she was discovered by a clothing designer in Tshwane while walking to campus. The designer, who was impressed by her model appearance and demeanour, asked her to promote his clothing label.
“Since then I discovered my potential and I usually classified myself as a fashion model rather than a beauty pageant model. And because there are a lot of categories in the modelling industry, I took every opportunity that came my way, but after winning an award for best beauty pageant beginner at Ace Models in 2017, I started taking part in beauty pageants.”
When she had to drop out as a Miss Free State semi-finalist because she had to move to a different province, Pitso entered the MBSA 2021 pageant.
“I was triggered to enter the MBSA pageant because I understood that it was not only about a pretty face with a stunning body, but a beauty with brains kind of thing, hence the emphasis on education.
“Also, having the knowledge that being a title holder would come with a lot of maturity and independence,” she said.
Pitso says that if she wins she would want to impact the lives of other women in a “meaningful life way”.
The Miss Bachelorette SA competition is an annual event created by former Miss SA finalist, Refilwe Mogale, for women between the ages of 25-50 who are unmarried, with or without children.
Asked what she would do if she were to be president of the country, Pitso said she would focus on equality, empowering women and early childhood development while reducing teenage pregnancy.
Pretoria News