In a world driven by the need to be inclusive it came as no surprise when Miss SA announced this week that married women will be able to compete for the crown for the first time.
In a world driven by the need to be inclusive, it came as no surprise when Miss SA announced this week that married women will be able to compete for the crown for the first time. There are no height or weight restrictions either, and if you have tattoos and piercings you may still enter.
Professor Juliana Claassens, Head of the Gender Unit at the University of Stellenbosch, said that beauty pageants in themselves were problematic.
“It is a very narrow minded understanding of what beauty truly is. It is absolutely great that these restrictions, that were used as parameters to exclude and cultivate a certain ideal of beauty, have been scrapped.”
She said that it would be interesting to see how the changes play.
“To see whether someone short or plus size could become a beauty queen in this sphere of pageants. The whole thing with married women and women with kids being able to enter, opens up the understanding of what it truly means to be a woman and beautiful. There are other qualities beyond just being a pretty face.”
In a move towards inclusivity Miss SA has cleared all the red tape and their outdated restrictions are now a thing of the past.
CEO Stephanie Weil, said ever since Weil Entertainment bought the rights to the Miss South Africa Pageant from Sun International in 2019, it was mindful of the need for inclusivity.
“Since then, the Miss South Africa Organisation has been determined that Miss South Africa continues to alter the meaning of pageantry and beauty. One of the organisation’s major goals has been inclusivity. “
According to Weil their goal was to embrace all members of society. “We hope that the Miss South Africa Organisation will continue to play a role that can act as a catalyst to this.”
Questions surrounding how these changes will impact Mrs South Africa have been put to bed by their CEO, Joani Johnson. She is of the opinion that the decision signals yet another landmark step within the local pageant industry for celebrating women of all backgrounds.
She said that the two pageants will continue to complement each other, as Miss SA was only open to entrants under the age of 30 years, while Mrs South Africa was open to married women up to the age of 55 years.
Johnson explained: “Both programmes play an important role in supporting women through different stages of their lives, and showcasing their strength, talent, and determination as inspiration to us all.”
Weekend Argus