What really irks me about pageant followers and fans is that, when their particular favourite fails to make the grade, they will use every excuse under the sun from bad styling and crappy wardrobe, poor training and unqualified judges, right through to prejudice and racism to rationalise and explain the failure.
Bottom line is a bona fide beauty queen will overcome all these obstacles and shine no matter what the situation or time of day. A true beauty never has a bad hair day and will always look good in every photograph. Sure, at times some photographs will not be as good as others, but even the bad photographs will be good.
One such beauty queen was Andrea Stelzer. She was always a good bet for a win or a place when her name appeared on the contestant list at a pageant. Whether it was a local pageant or an international pageant, Andrea was right up there when she was in her pageant prime. Every time she donned her cozzie and stiletto's and wiggled her booty on a pageant stage, the other contestants were fighting for second place.
Apart from her two second places at Miss SA (Universe) in 1982 and 1984, when she lost out to world-class beauties Odette Scrooby and Leticia Snyman, she won every other pageant she entered in South Africa. Unfortunately she had to withdraw from the Miss Universe pageant in 1985 after winning the Miss SA title, but jumped ship in 1988 and won both pageants she entered in Germany so that she could realise her dream of competing at a leading international pageant.
Sadly she was getting a bit long in her pageant tooth when she competed at Miss Universe in 1989 and Miss All Nations in 1990 where she placed 6th on both occasions. Even though she was past her pageant prime by then, many pageant experts and observers have publically stated that she deserved higher placings at both pageants. Everyone agrees that, had she been allowed to compete at Miss Universe in 1985, she would have given the winner a good run for her money.
Regrettably, she didn't know when to stop and had some poor showings at the Miss Hawaiian Tropic pageant in the 90's when she was over the pageant hill. Be that as it may, when she was in her prime, this girl new how to compete for a win. If the truth be told, she could have won any pageant wearing a paper bag.
Although I've used Andrea as an example, there were many national beauties before her and a few after her that were just as competitive. Why is it that nowadays the success of our national beauties is dependent on styling, wardrobe and training?
Where are those beauties that one could send to Edgars to pick out a wardrobe, pop them on a plane to an international event and be assured that they would come back with a fair bit of silverware? Let's not forget that back then all our national winners got was the brief from the Department of Foreign Affairs instructing them as to what they could and could not say about the country, a couple of frocks, stockings and make-up, and a plane ticket to the international pageant venue. Where are all the other Andrea Stelzers?
Before anyone starts whining about there being more to a national title than achieving results at international pageants, and that she should be a role model and spokesperson for some worthy cause, consider that 90% of all national beauty pageants are held specifically to select a national representative for international competition.
Perhaps Sun International should appoint Andrea as head judge for the Miss SA pageant. From past experience, she obviously knows what the recipe is for pageant success. She was always out for a win and was not just satisfied with a place.