As a sequel to the piece Mirror Mirror contributed by Missla Libsekal of Another Africa to New York-based V Magazine’s website, we take a more in-depth look at the book Miss Beautiful by Day One Publishing based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Through the monocle of the beauty pageant, Miss Beautiful reveals the aspirations of South African’s of today, the challenges they face, the dreams they have realized and the dreams that they have yet to achieve.
Miss Beautiful is a reminder that beauty is not only skin deep. Author Tamsen de Beer’s and Photographer Stan Engelbrecht embarked on a two year journey documenting the world of pageantry in South Africa. One might ask why pageants? De Beer’s writes, that they had originally hoped to discover and “establish what it was that South Africa’s multi-cultural communities celebrated as beautiful.”
The project blossomed from secret beauty tips and morning beauty rituals when they realized that what was far more intriguing was the socio-political context for the narratives of the many contestants and the issues raised and promoted through the sometimes unusually named pageants. Not your typical fare for beauty titles with names such as Miss Anti-Crime, The Calvinia Meat Festival Queen to Mr. HIV/Aids-Awareness. The global phenomenon of pageantry takes on a distinctive South African flavor yet nonetheless still remains a competitive venue where only one competitor can win the title. De Beer’s insights into this daunting world include that it takes brains, whit, personality and confidence more than what mother nature has endowed you with; points that become evident leafing through the stories of the thirty-two pageant victors and their fallen contenders.
For a nation that is still recovering from an era of apartheid, a young democracy with a high incidence of HIV/AIDS, crime, unemployment, poverty to many more woes we see a ray of hope and light in these determined and persevering individuals. Regardless of which walk of life or economic situation these contestants come from, their desire to have some kind of impact within their communities is inspiring. For many of them, they see their title’s as an opportunity to become spokespersons, role models and agents of change. Miss Beautiful is a tribute to these courageous individuals who confidently embrace their future and their desire for a better and brighter future for themselves and South Africa at large.
Though Another Africa is still in it’s early days and does not have the weight of an Oprah Winfrey Book Club nod, we certainly recommend buying this treasure. Miss Beautiful is available for purchase through Day One Publishing.
About
Day One is an independent publishing company established in 2005, based in Cape Town, South Africa. Day One produces what it terms ‘new Africana’. Its projects explore a contemporary vision of South African life and culture.
All images courtesy of Day One Publications.
Where is Cape Town, South Africa?
