So the search for Miss SA 2010 has begun. I'm not quite certain which centres have hosted an interview round yet, but the accompanying photographs are from the Johannesburg semi-final. These pictures are courtesy of the The Sowetan and feature a couple of contestants that caught my eye.Whilst my early favourite is Chanel Watterson (second picture, right) the reigning Miss Italia SA, I believe that she is only "two bricks and a tickey" high which could count against her in a line-up of glamazons. But then again the new Miss Universe isn't a towering giant either, so perhaps it isn't such a disadvantage after all.
What is painfully obvious is that a number of the girls have a very inflated perception of their physical appeal. Some of them shouldn't be seen within a 1000 nautical miles of a pageant stage unless they're members of the paying audience. Whilst they probably stand out in their school, work or social photographs, they are completely and utterly out of place on a national pageant stage.
I have it on good authority that the desired winning look is caramel again (as opposed to milky bar or albany dark), but I have not seen a single "caramel queen" in any of the photographs. Perhaps they are hiding out at the Cape Town and Durban semi-finals, but I'm not holding my breath given what I've been told.
Oh! There is just one major BMW from my side. Message to my black "sistas": If you want to look chic and fabulous, a weave or braids is the way to go. Only chemo patients, hookers, private investigators and female impersonators wear wigs. I'll go so far as to say that you look as silly in a wig as white chicks do with braids.
A case in point is the 1999 Miss Universe pageant. Apart from Carolina Indriago from Venezuela, Mpule Kwelagobe was my other favourite on the night. Mpule looked stunning with her hair the way it was during the final broadcast. The next day she sported a do made from "horse ass hair" and WTF was my immediate reaction.
In any event, I'm looking forward to seeing who the semi-finalists and finalists will be in the next few weeks. Whoever wins in December, just remember that you have a very tough act to follow.