Miss SA conquers pressure and silly stereotypes to take crown
There are many stereotypes associated with beauty pageants. And some of them are accurate, judging by one of the questions Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh NelPeters was asked during the Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas last week.
Was she scared to walk in the streets in South Africa because of all the giraffes, Miss Belgium Liesbeth Claus asked her in the run-up to the finale.
“[When] I got asked if I was scared to walk in the street, I thought it was about crime because of my hijacking incident. I responded that I don’t recommend walking around alone at night but that most areas were safe. Then I was asked: ‘But what about the giraffes?’ I laughed and said the giraffes are fine, but it was the lions that we needed to look out for.”
Since being crowned Miss Universe last Sunday, NelPeters has moved into an upmarket apartment in New York where she’ll be based during her reign, with Miss USA Kára McCullough as her roommate.
She has been doing back-to-back TV interviews on shows like Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Ryan.
Nel-Peters, who was a fan favourite even before arriving in Las Vegas last month, said the reality of her win and new life still hadn’t sunk in.
She said the days leading up to the finale had been tense but she had remained focused and calm. She had told herself she needed to compete “like I was at the bottom of the list”.
Nel-Peters touched down in the US several weeks ago armed with four suitcases full of cocktail dresses and ballgowns.
Since arriving in New York on Monday, she has only had time to tick off two items on her bucket list: visiting the Empire State Building and eating cheesecake in Times Square. Another “super exciting” moment was meeting US singer Fergie, who performed at the competition during the evening gown section.
In June Nel-Peters was hijacked at gunpoint. She punched one of the assailants in the throat before running away. This ordeal later became the cornerstone of her Unbreakable campaign to empower women.