One for the ages
Gran, 60, a beauty pageant finalist
ASouth Auckland grandmother says her “bucket-wish dream” has come true after finding she’s made it to the Miss National New Zealand pageant finals.
Jacqueline Williams, 60, says she has had a passion for beauty and modelling since she was a teenager, but it took the Covid-19 pandemic to make her finally fulfil her modelling dream of entering a beauty pageant.
This competition is no Miss Universe or Miss World, and in fact contestants must pay a fee to take part, but the mother of three adult daughters and grandmother to a 10-year-old boy says it still has “done wonders” for her self-confidence.
Organisers confirm that Williams is the oldest contestant and likely to be 30-40 years older than the other finalists.
“I used to do modelling many years ago, and I remember when I took my daughter to one of her modelling events many years ago I was thinking to myself, ‘Gosh, I wish I could be in her place’,” Williams said.
“But never in a million years did I think I would enter a pageant, but now that I’m in, I just know this is my calling.”
It all started last year, when, with Auckland in lockdown, Williams saw the event advertised on the internet.
“When I saw it didn’t have an age limit, I said, ‘ Oh my goodness, I’m going to give this a go’,” said Williams.
“The Covid-19 pandemic is just the wake-up call that we have to live life to the full, and seize every opportunity to do what we want in life. I just had to make my bucket-wish dream come true.”
Williams submitted her photo, did a Zoom video-call interview with the organisers last September and got sponsors to cover her participation fee; neither she nor the organisers would disclose the amount.
“I was at work when I got a call and told that I was in the finals,” said Williams, who is temping in between jobs.
“I know I will be competing with others who are a lot younger, but I feel a lot younger than I am and lots of people say I don’t look my age either.”
Williams said when she broke the news to her husband, Paul, he nearly fainted.
“He was so excited for me.
Paul was just blown away, and he said to me, ‘You go, girl’,” she said.
“I’m lucky to have a husband who’s so supportive and encouraging, even when I go for my regular pageant practices.”
Williams is a part-time Nutrimetrics consultant, and a taekwondo martial arts practitioner. She is a singer in a band called Keychange, of which her husband is also a part.
“I feel that age is just a number and real beauty comes from within,” she said.
Pageant organiser Olga Ovsyannikova says Miss National NZ is aimed at celebrating the country’s cultural diversity.
“Our aim is to help all women feel beautiful, confident and powerful and become role models for their community,” she said.
“Finalists will be judged on their inner beauty, attitude, ability to help others and how they inspire others.”
The finals will be on October 9, and although the total number of finalists has yet to be decided, Ovsyannikova said most were aged 18 to 30, with Williams the oldest.
I saw it didn’t have an age limit, I said, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m going to give this a go’. Jacqueline Williams