Should we still be doing these ‘pageants’?

Here we are again, deep into Women’s Month, celebrating the accident of nature which is a beautiful young woman – in this case Natasha Joubert, who was crowned Miss South Africa 2023.

But, the point to ponder is this: should we still be doing these “pageants” deep into the 21st century as women still battle to be judged on their abilities, rather than merely on their looks?

ALSO READ: ‘It definitely hasn’t sunk in, in any way,’ says new Miss SA Natasha Joubert

Joubert, thank goodness, did not say she wishes for world peace, that beauty competition cliché, and she does seem to have achieved quite a bit in her first 25 years. She is not only a marketing graduate, but also an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word, having started her own fashion company when she was just 19.

You also cannot argue with her message: “You’re never a product of your circumstances, you’re a product of your choices.”

Maybe her background, though, gave her greater freedom of choice than others less financially fortunate. And her stunning good looks would have smoothed whichever path she chose for herself.

ALSO READ: Natasha Joubert crowned Miss South Africa 2023

What of the poor and the plain? Should they not also have choices? Should they not also be celebrated? And, of course, in the end beauty is fleeting and ephemeral. Like life itself…