Big hair, curly hair, long hair . . .
FROM the perfectly coiffed curls of the 1950s to the giant manes of the 1980s, the hair on which Miss South Africa’s crown rests has changed dramatically over the life of the pageant.
In the early years, the competition was run through picture submissions to the Sunday Times only, with the public voting for a winner. In the 1950s and 1960s, victors like the first Miss South Africa, Norma Vorster, and 1958 winner Penny Coelen had perfectly set curls, demure dresses and, in addition to being crowned, were covered in a cape.
Fast forward to the 1970s, when a bikini-clad Shelley Latham (1973) is pictured on Clifton beach, her long hair hanging loose. Swimsuits for the pageants in this decade shrank, too, and varied from bikinis to high-cut numbers that made the women’s legs look endless.
Although designer evening gowns are the norm at pageants these days, the contestants at the 1978 competition — won by Yolanda Kloppers — wore dresses sponsored by Foschini.
The sleek hair and Farrah Fawcett curls of the 1970s slowly gave way to the tight perms of the 1980s. When the crown was placed on Michelle Bruce’s head in 1989, it was almost overwhelmed by curls that had been swept up to highlight her shoulders, which were accentuated by her black and silver strapless evening gown.
In the 1990s, the dresses became bigger and shinier. Miss South Africa 1992, Amy Kleinhans, had a white confection of a dress, and Jacqui Mofokeng, South Africa’s first black woman to hold the title, wore a red and gold beaded satin number.
Mofokeng and her princesses flashed lots of red lipstick and their hair was piled elaborately on top of their heads.
As the new millennium dawned, the queens returned to more natural styles: 2009’s Nicole Flint won with loose, straight hair, as did 2011’s Melinda Bam.
The dresses became softer, often in coordinated pastel or metallic shades. The swimsuits, some of which had elaborate cutouts, became brighter. — Bianca Capazorio