Beauty and brains combo ups Ciara’s pageant ranks

BEAUTY with brains and purpose. These are the attributes of Empress South Africa, a title that Treasure Beach resident, Ciara James, is vying for.

Having just made the cut to semi-finalist, the Warrior Princess, as they are sometimes referred to in the competition, is ready to take on the next challenge. “The first round of this competition was most definitely exciting, fun-filled and enjoyable as it consisted of shoutouts from celebrities family members and friends as well as doing community projects. This was just the tip of the iceberg,” she enthused.

The 22-year-old Bachelor of Technology in Hospitality Management student at the Durban University of Technology has been modeling since the age of four. “This has not only increased my confidence but also groomed me as a person as well as my ability to participate in social and public events,” she said.

Dubbed the first and largest of its kind, the online beauty pageant embraces technological tools and social media. This allows contestants to compete and make a difference in their own hometowns, subtracting costs that would otherwise be incurred when traveling.

“There are many beauty contests that award both national and international titles, without affording equal opportunity to all women. Most contests are limited to a specific city or province, yet claim the titles of their pageant represent the entire country. Many of these contest titles are rushed, afford opportunities to professional models only, and base them on industry-norm body type and modeling skills,” Ciara explained.

Some of her modeling accolades include winning Miss Durban Youth Council and Miss Model of the year in 2014, taking the first princess crown at Miss uShaka in 2013 and being crowned the second princess at the Miss eThekweni Municipality in 2016.

She said the biggest beauty pageant misconceptions stem from social media influences where beauty is confined to a certain height, body type, look, and skin colour. “What people fail to understand is that beauty is not defined by the standards or norms of society. True beauty is not related to the texture of your hair or what colour your eyes are. True beauty comes from within. When you are comfortable enough to be in your own skin and accept who you really are then you can be the best version of who God has made you to be,” she said.

And what would being crowned Empress South Africa mean to her? “An opportunity to uplift and inspire my community by motivating young women to make the change they wish to see, to empower them and remind them that they have the ability and God-given strength to overcome any mountain or challenges that come their way by keeping hope, trust, and faith which will allow them to reach their God-given destiny,” she said.

Help afford Ciara the opportunity to uplift and inspire the community by voting for her. SMS ‘Ciara James’ to 35334. SMSes are R3, voting is unlimited.

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