MISS SA THEN AND NOW
The changing face of beauty
ALTHOUGH Miss South Africa organisers are working to make the pageant more relevant, there are still strict rules on appearance and behaviour that contestants are expected to observe to take home the crown.
The pageant, which takes place next weekend, has a history going back to 1956. The organisers said they were repositioning the event, even bringing in Miss South Africa 2011, Melinda Bam, to assist in making it more relevant.
“The Miss South Africa message for a new generation is clear: the Miss South Africa pageant is a powerful platform for developing potential. It is a celebration of the country’s savvy, smart and beautiful young women who are determined to be the best they can be while being true to themselves,” said sponsor Sun International’s Alison McKie.
But the pageant has strict rules. Although there are no height or size requirements, participants are expected to have a “fit and healthy body”.
McKie said there was “an expectation that you retain the qualities that won you the crown in the first place”.
The competition also has a strong focus on “natural beauty”, and although hair colourants and weaves are allowed, visible tattoos, piercings and even gold teeth are unacceptable.
“You need to ask yourself: Do the international pageant winners have any of these? This competition is a beauty pageant, and all entrants will be judged according to international standards,” states the pageant’s Facebook page.
And although some international competitions are moving away from the traditional swim-
I was boycotted as a white South African. The girl who crowned me was the first black Miss Universe, so it was very political and controversial from day one
suit category, allowing women to wear shorts or sarongs on stage, Miss South Africa retains it. “The reason we have swimwear and not boardshorts is because it is a health and fitness body category and judges need to see what a contestant’s body looks like,” according to the Facebook page.
Miss South Africa is also not allowed to be or have been married, or have any children, although pageant organisers said she was allowed to have a boyfriend. She must move to Johannesburg during the year of her reign and, because it is a full-time job, must quit other jobs or studies.
The pageant has not been without controversial winners.
Doreen Levin, a former Sunday Times journalist who chaperoned many of the winners, recalled travelling with Vera Johns to Miss World, where she was disqualified for having been born in Rhodesia.
And there was the Miss South Africa who was nearly fired after disappearing to attend a golf day with her boyfriend instead of attending a scheduled photoshoot. “Nobody knew where she was, not even her mother,” said Levin.
The pageant was highly politicised during apartheid, with black and white contestants competing at Miss World under the separate titles of Miss South Africa and Miss Africa South.
Margaret Gardiner, who was never a Miss South Africa, said she had entered the nonsegregated Miss RSA pageant. She went on to win Miss Universe in Mexico in 1978. “It was at the height of the women’s movement and I was boycotted as a white South African. The year was not easy. The girl who crowned me was the first black Miss Universe, so it was very political and controversial from day one,” she said.
Levin travelled with Vanessa Wannenburg to Miss World 1977, the last contest South Africa entered before being kicked out. “It was very hard for her. The girls said very unkind things to her,” she said.
Despite the controversy, former pageant winners and contest hopefuls believe in its ability to change lives. “I was proud to be crowned Miss South Africa,” said Bam. “I believe in what it stands for — that beauty only enhances the qualities that are of much greater importance, like having the drive to make a success of your future, living a generous life that impacts on someone else’s and making a tangible change.”
capazoriob@sundaytimes.co.za