It's time for the annual Mr South Africa contest. The event will be held at Carnival City on Saturday 14 March. It does seem to be a step up from the usual "lodge in the bush" or "shopping mall" affair in years gone by.There are 15 finalists this year, and at a first glance, there are no real "world beaters" in the group, but the official head-shots are a tad misleading. A closer look at the portfolio's of the finalists reveals that there are at least a half-dozen real lookers in the group.
I know that male pageants are not everyone's cup of tea, but I suppose what is good for the gander is good for the goose. In this age of the Metrosexual Male when men are almost as neurotic about their appearance as women are (or should be), I don't have a problem with the concept of male pageants. I don't have facts and figures, but I'm sure that the worldwide hair and skincare market for men is worth billions.
The problem I do have, however, is that, whilst the organisers promote the event as a search for a "macho man" or "man of the year", they insist on having the poor dudes jumping around on stage like a bunch of "nelly queens". By all means have a musical production number with choreographed dance routines, but why oh why do they make the contestants jump around on stage like a gaggle of crazed druggies on a bad acid trip during the swimwear segment.
In any event, best of luck to all the contestants. May the best man win.