“DEAR brown girls, your dreams are valid” is a phrase I saw on one of the posts Miss Universe 2019 made on her Facebook page. I can surely say that phrase, no matter how short it is, inspired me to write this piece. Pageants have always been seen as a competition of beauty and while some pageants argue beauty and brains, the fact that the word beauty is still in the phrase should still speak volumes. Representation matters. That is something I can personally tell you all. Seeing someone, who looks like you, talks like you and who shares similar values and beliefs; filling great shoes and positions inspires you to become greatness of your own will. That is something Miss Universe 2019, from the beautiful country of South Africa; Zozibini Tunzi proved that we are on the edge of finally breaking barriers and the impossible.
For far too long the standardised idea of beauty has been limited and narrow: long hair, fair skin, slender figure and a slim nose. Well, am I wrong? Colour has limited opportunities and gateways for centuries and unless you’re a victim of it then sadly, I don’t think you can ever fully understand. Zozibini’s answer to the question, “What is the most important thing that we should be teaching young girls today?” is what mesmerised me the most. She replied by saying, “I think the most important thing that we should be teaching young girls today is leadership. It’s something that has been lacking in young girls and women for a very long time, not because we don’t want to but because of what society labelled women to be.” She continued by saying, “I think we are the most powerful beings in the world and that we should be given every opportunity. And that is what we should be teaching these young girls to do, is to take up space. Nothing is more important than taking space in society and cementing yourself. Thank-you.” If that hasn’t moved you in any way, shape or form then I do not know what will.
Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe 2019 are all women of colour. Guyana also has a woman of colour; Joylyn Conway as our Miss World representative for 2019, will she be next? Are we finally giving our young girls of colour something and someone to look up to? Are we finally allowing young girls to validate their dreams and giving them cemented hopes of a bright future? As far as I know, we’ve come a long way from Vanessa Williams and the controversial story of her surrendering her crown for Miss America (coincidental? I think not) to Zozibini Tunzi in 2019 for Miss Universe. With all of that said, I’d like to conclude by finally saying; Dear brown girls, your dreams are valid!