Guyanese sets sights on Miss Venus Model Caribbean crown
Twenty-six-year-old model Onesha Hutson has been strutting the catwalk for the last seven years in and out of Guyana and her exploits include finishing second in the Miss Jamzone Guyana in 2014 and becoming queen of the local leg at the Miss Global International Guyana the same year. She is now vying for the Miss Venus Model Caribbean slated for Anguilla on June 30.
The second-year University of Guyana medical technology student began modelling at the age of 19. It all began one evening while she was being escorted by longtime friend and designer Mwanza Glen to a pageant at the National Cultural Centre. Onesha was flaunting one of Mwanza’s pieces and high heels. Mwanza, picking up on her height and gait in the heels encouraged the 5ft 9ins beauty to participate in the upcoming Miss Guyana Universe pageant. She did but did not place. However, her experience in the pageant opened the door to her modelling career which commenced with a gig for Wanza’s Designs.
In a sit down with The Scene, Onesha said she has always been sports oriented and while attending St Rose’s High would be caught up in basketball, volleyball, badminton and table tennis. Her school life saw her taking on parts in plays, doing impromptu speeches, participating in debates and writing short plays, some of which found their way to the school stage. With all of that on her plate she never had time for modelling at school events or to enter pageants, although she grew up watching the various international pageants whenever they were aired.
Pageantry, she said, was far from her mind and she explained, “I was always skinny in school and was conscious of it. I had friends who were too and were teased and called names for it. Though I was never a victim of this I always somehow expected to be teased for my height eventually. So having grown up being conscious of this, I was sure I wasn’t pageant type.”
However, having taken in the Miss Universe Guyana pageant that perspective of herself began to change. This particular pageant gave her one of her favourite experiences. “From pageantry I’ve become a better public speaker and I voice my opinion better. It paved the way for me to do forums. It boosted my self-confidence. It allows me to be a role model and keeps me on my toes knowing persons are always looking on,” Onesha said. And in relation to modelling: “Modelling helped [me to embrace] my feminine side and helped me in knowing the appropriate fashion for the respective occasions.”
Since then Onesha has participated in fashion shows locally and internationally strutting the catwalk for Guyana Fashion Week in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015; Suriname Fashion Week in 2016 and 2017 and in French