Advice for contest hopefuls
REIGNING Miss South Africa SashaLee Olivier has advice for those still deciding whether or not to enter this year’s online pageant, as entries stream in from across the country.
“All you need for this moment is a thorough knowledge of who you are and what you stand for; a vision for what you would like to do with this title; and the courage to pursue it.
“A lot of young women ask, ‘How is it that we know we are ready to enter?’ or ‘How do we know when we know enough?’ The truth is that we don’t. In fact, I am still learning while I am wearing the Miss South Africa crown,” said Olivier.
“I think the belief that innately we have the capacity to be here is fundamental. So believe in yourself and you are halfway there already.”
Miss South Africa, she said, transformed lives, and she believed she was living proof of that.
“Our presence on a platform such as this brings about the idea of possibilities – a future re-imagined for little girls and women alike. In this, we realise how much this was never about us to begin with, but rather about those who we represent.
“To the women who don’t fit the pre-assumed template placed upon them by a subjective society or a guide that dictates narrow standards regarding what it means to be beautiful, they must see that they have been, and always will be, enough the way that they are.”
Olivier explained that she had had to adapt her role as Miss South Africa during the Covid-19 lockdown: “I continue to lend my voice to a multitude of causes – not in person, but through social media.
“I am continuing with my #ItsNotYourFault campaign, which is aimed at making sure that people, like me, who have endured sexual assault, know that they are not to blame for their abuse. I am also continuing to raise funds from corporates and individuals to buy, pack and distribute rape comfort packs.”
Miss South Africa 2020 will be crowned in the first weekend in August, as the country starts it’s Women’s Month celebrations, during an entertainment-packed pageant that will be broadcast live on both M-Net and Mzansi Magic.
Those who wish to enter this year should visit www.misssa.co.za by May 31.