Reflections on the Miss World contest
– Mandy Jardim
BEAUTY QUEENS have, in the past, been mistaken for pretty, smiling simpletons. Indeed, we may have required no more of them in previous years but a good figure and great teeth. In actual fact, today’s Beauty Queen is responsible for an awful lot more than that. She sets examples for other young people to follow and is in many respects a figurehead like the Queen of England. And because she has arisen from among the people, they see in her a picture of themselves and their aspirations to excellence, they wish, and quite rightly, to show the world that a young woman of their country can be the equal of any other. In this job therefore, the Beauty Queen must be very careful to conduct herself in a manner which will lend dignity and pride to both her people and herself.
Unfortunately, in Guyana as in many other developing nations, women have not always tried or been able to assert themselves, and society has consequently missed much of their positive inputs. Nevertheless, the tentative steps taken of late to show (and proudly too!) what women can contribute, have been heartening. Not the least conspicuous have been the spate of Beauty and Fashion shows.
I cannot emphasize strongly enough though, that these contests in themselves are not the be-all and end-all. Rather, it is what can be achieved after the contest that is important. These titles can, should, be made to work for the benefit of all rather than the personal gain of the title-holder. This is the point of the Miss World contest.
The Miss World contest is used to generate large amounts of money for children’s charities; it also provides tremendous international goodwill and free publicity for any country that enters. The very fact that Guyana succeeded in sending a contestant to London can be used as a rallying point for many other achievements which require the co-operation and talent of Guyanese from many walks of life. One that comes to mind is our Olympic effort.
I’ve learnt a great deal and about the Miss World contest. It has been an experience that 1 shall treasure always and would recommend to any young woman. I hope I shall have the chance to pass on this knowledge to Miss Guyana 1989.