Showbiz, baby
Yummy mummy Dintle wants the world to see how precious her little Jewel is. Sparkle, Jewel, sparkle!
Little Khanyi Jewel Nyathi (KaiAnn Munyaka) is the apple of her mother Dintle’s (Mapaseka Koetle) eye. Dintle not only thinks that she has the most beautiful child in the world, she wants the world to acknowledge this fact. And on Friday 18 January, she finds the way to do just that. A baby competition? Trophy please! “This is a great opportunity for Dintle to win money and for her to brag. It’s exciting for her dressing up and taking Jewel to the competition,” says Mapaseka. We can’t wait to see mother and daughter take the stage on Monday 21 January, but she’s going to have competition from another Scandal! baby…
BABY, YOU’RE THE BEST
Kiddie-pageant reality show Toddlers & Tiaras (2009-2016) was a guilty pleasure for us. But we hated the mean way that some of those stage moms broke down their tiny kids’ confidence with scolding and belittling. So we’re thrilled when Mapaseka tells us that Dintle will turn those expectations upside-down. “Look out for how Dintle speaks to Jewel. Every time before they take a video and before they prepare her for the competition, she will assure Jewel that ‘You are beautiful. You are amazing. You can do it. That’s amazing. I think that every mother should tell their children that. ‘You are amazing, you are going to be something big.’ Any time before they go anywhere, Dintle will remind Jewel how beautiful she is.”
TO THE NINES
In fact, Dintle is so wrapped up in her daughter that she barely even notices the other moms and kids. “She goes there like, ‘The mummy is hot, the child is cute. There is no way we’re not going to win this.’ She is so focussed on Jewel that she doesn’t even care or think about what the other kids are wearing.’ And Dintle has taken time to make sure that she does little Jewel proud herself. “She is wearing heels and the weave is fleeking. She wants to be that hot mom with a cute toddler,” says Mapaseka.
THE PAGEANT PROBLEM
While Dintle is throwing herself into this world both guns blazing, Mapaseka would be a bit more cautious. “Toddlers don’t really know what they like sometimes. I wouldn’t do it. I would wait for my daughter to be able to tell me if she is comfortable. Sometimes people tell me, ‘Your baby is amazing! She could do this’. But you know that your baby doesn’t necessarily like that. You know when you watch Toddlers & Tiaras and you see mothers getting angry because their child is not getting the routine? I am like, ‘She is a baby! She doesn’t have to remember a routine!’ Sometimes if you push it too much, for me it looks wrong. But if the child is doing it because she likes it and she likes interacting with the other kids, that’s a different story altogether.”
THINK, DINTLE!
And there are even more treacherous waters ahead when Dintle and Jewel make waves in late January. “We differ completely! Dintle doesn’t see the bigger picture,” Mapaseka says emphatically. “We’re living in a crazy world and there are psychopaths out there. She thinks it’s safe to just post or tweet a photograph of her kid. It’s funny that I did this storyline, because I oppose that. The thought of someone I don’t know having a photo of my child creeps me out. Pictures stay on the internet forever and some day my child will ask me, ‘But why is my picture everywhere? Why?’” And there’s one more factor that Dintle hasn’t thought through. “Jewel’s father
Quinton (Brighton Ngoma) is a CEO. He has a public profile as a rich bachelor, so anyone can try to get to him through the child.” We wonder what Quinton will have to say about this… and when he will find out!