Latest news with #pageant
News24
a day ago
- Business
- News24
What's going on with Miss SA 2025? What to know about the pageant's postponement
The Miss SA 2025 pageant has been postponed. This comes after the CEO has stepped down. AFI also celebrated its new strategic journey with the pageant. _________________________________________________________________ Sweeping changes and uncertainty have clouded the 2025 Miss South Africa (Miss SA) pageant. The Miss SA Organisation has officially announced a postponement of its annual pageant, much to the confusion of the pageant's entrants and supporters. The finale event usually takes place in August of every year. The organisation's statement reads, 'The Miss South Africa Organisation today announced the postponement of Miss South Africa from August to a later date in 2025, to ensure greater alignment with international and other global events.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss South Africa (@official_misssa) Many were left unsurprised at the news of the postponement, since the delay of the Top 30 announcement raised questions after entries closed in April. This announcement comes off the back of a number of changes Miss SA has undergone this year. On 10 July, the organisation revealed that the CEO, Stephanie Weil, has left the organisation and stepped down from her position. Miss SA's statement read, 'The organisers of Miss South Africa wish Stephanie Weil everything of the best with her new endeavours as an agreement has been reached that Ms Weil will be leaving the organisation after many years as CEO of Miss South Africa. 'Ms Weil will be staying on for as long as is required to ensure a smooth transition to new leadership and to ensure that the best interest of the Miss South Africa organisation are served.' Africa Fashion International (AFI), the official fashion sponsor of the pageant, has taken the organisation under its wing and emphasised its continued partnership with Miss SA in a statement released on the same day. 'Africa Fashion International (AFI) and the Miss South Africa Organisation are proud members of a larger family owned group of companies, united by a shared vision for creativity and excellence,' AFI's statement read. 'As sister companies, we are excited to embark on this strategic journey together, leveraging our unique strengths to drive growth and innovation.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Africa Fashion International (@afi_sa) In January 2025, Werner Wessels officially stepped down as the creative director of Miss SA, a role where he significantly helped shape the beauty pageant's presence on the global stage. Werner's tenure included mentoring Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Supranational 2022 Lalela Mswane and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow, as well as being the creative mind behind the pageant's distinct styling and signature shoots. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Werner Wessels (@werner_wessels) The Miss SA organisation's announcement of the pageant's postponement comes with its notice of expanding the organisation to include entrepreneurship, job creation, cultural awareness and social cohesion. While 'further announcements will be made soon,' the organisation shares, many are left with confusion at the fate of the pageant's future.
The Herald
a day ago
- Business
- The Herald
Miss South Africa 2025 postponed due to global events
The Miss South Africa organisation has announced the postponement of the pageant to a later date in 2025. This is to ensure greater alignment with international and other global events. 'The organisation, through its affiliated companies, aims to broaden the reach and impact of the pageant and its contestants,' spokesperson Kenneth Makhanya said. 'The pillars of the organisation will be expanded to include entrepreneurship, job creation, cultural awareness and social cohesion.' The Miss SA pageant typically takes place in August. Entries for the 2025 pageant opened on April 2 and closed on April 11. Concerns have been raised about the prolonged announcement of the top 30 contestants. 'The organisers of the Miss South Africa contest are making good progress with the preparations for the contest, which will be a huge success,' the organisation said. The postponement comes after Miss SA CEO Stephanie Weil stepped down from her role earlier this month. Creative director Werner Wessels also resigned earlier this year. In May, the organisation pulled out of the Miss Supranational international competition.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
I was a teenage mom. Now I'm a contestant for Miss Indigenous Canada
First Person Tamara Fontaine 'This pageant isn't about glamour. It's about healing, leadership and pride,' Tamara Fontaine writes Today, I am a contestant in Miss Indigenous Canada 2025. I'm representing not just myself, but my son, my ancestors and my community. Standing here is more than a title or a pageant. It's a full-circle moment, one I never imagined possible nine years ago. At 16, I became a single teenage mother. I was still in high school, overwhelmed, scared and unsure of what my future would look like. I grew up in poverty, surrounded by systems that didn't always support young Indigenous girls like me. I remember crying quietly in the bathroom during class breaks, wondering if I was ever going to get through it. I felt so much pressure to be strong, while still trying to figure out who I was. I've learned that my voice is a tool for change. - Tamara Fontaine But even then, I knew I wanted to give my son, Noah, a better life. He was always my anchor. He became the reason I kept going when things got hard. I returned to school and pushed through late nights, grief and moments of deep self-doubt. It wasn't easy. I faced judgment and stigma for being a teen mom, especially as an Indigenous woman. There were times when I felt invisible and forgotten, but I kept showing up for him, and for myself. What helped me most along the way was reconnecting with my culture and finding the right support systems. I joined Wahbung Abinoonjiiag, a community-based organization that supports families and survivors of domestic and family violence. At the time, I was navigating my own experiences with unhealthy and unsafe relationships. I didn't always have the words for what I had gone through, but Wahbung gave me a space to feel seen, to begin healing and to reconnect with who I was outside of survival. There was also a women's empowerment program I joined while I was there, which became a turning point in my journey. It focused on building confidence, reclaiming our voices and recognizing our worth as Indigenous women. Through workshops, teachings and sisterhood, I began to feel stronger not just emotionally but spiritually and culturally. It helped me shift from surviving to thriving. Through ceremony, cultural teachings and that empowering community, I began to understand that healing wasn't just possible, it was mine to claim. Taking Charge (a provincially funded support service for single parents) became another turning point in my journey. They helped me get into the University of Manitoba and provided child care so I could focus on my education while still being there for my son. I started out in the faculty of arts, unsure which direction I wanted to go. Over time, through my lived experiences and my growing involvement in community work, I realized that my heart was being pulled toward social work. I wanted to help others the way others had helped me, so I switched faculties and was accepted into the inner-city social work program, where I am now in my second year. This program feels like home. I'm surrounded by people who understand the importance of decolonizing systems, advocating for our people and using our stories as medicine. I've learned that my voice is a tool for change, and my story is one of survival and transformation. The grief of losing loved ones has also shaped who I've become. I carry their memories with me — especially my late family members from Sagkeeng First Nation, whom I will honour during the cultural presentation of this pageant. I'll be dancing the old style jingle dress dance, a dance of healing, with their urns and photos beside me. This isn't just a performance. It's a ceremony. It's my way of saying: I remember you. I carry you. And I'm still dancing. I carry my ancestors in my heart, my son on my shoulders and my community in every step I take. - Tamara Fontaine Deciding to apply for Miss Indigenous Canada was both exciting and terrifying. I didn't grow up seeing people like me in spaces like this, but I realized that's exactly why I needed to step into it. This pageant isn't about glamour. It's about healing, leadership and pride. It's a chance to tell our stories on a national stage, to inspire our youth and to reclaim our voices. When I found out I had been accepted as a contestant, I cried. It felt like a quiet victory for every younger version of myself who thought she wasn't good enough. I thought about my son and how he'll be watching me from the audience, and I knew I made the right decision. I want him to see what it means to walk in pride, to stand in ceremony and to carry your ancestors with you every step of the way. To the teenage moms who might be reading this or hearing me on the radio: I see you. I know how heavy the world can feel when it's telling you that you won't make it. But you will. Your story is not over. You are raising the next generation with love, and that alone is powerful. Your child is not a setback. They are your strength, your reason, your fire. Being a contestant in Miss Indigenous Canada isn't just about a title. It's a reflection of every hardship I've faced, every community that held me up and every lesson I've learned about resilience, motherhood and identity. I carry my ancestors in my heart, my son on my shoulders and my community in every step I take.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tiaras, tans and trauma: How reality TV — and real life — turned into a beauty pageant
Pageant contestants have to mine their deepest tragedies and look perfect doing it. So does everyone else. A woman in a glittering pink evening gown saunters onto a platform. She looks impeccable: Her lashes are long, and her heels are high. Her shiny brown hair is pulled back into a demure updo. Her confidence is on display in her walk, and when she's announced as the winner, joy overtakes her face, erupting into a dazzling white smile. Amaya 'Papaya' Espinal, a 25-year-old nurse from the Bronx, just won Love Island USA Season 7. She's not a pageant queen, but she might as well be. Beauty pageants are more symbolic than actually watched these days. Their viewership has declined since their height of popularity in the 1960s. The 2024 Miss America pageant, which was not televised and only available on streaming, was slammed by viewers for appearing 'low budget,' and Miss USA 2024 viewership numbers on the CW dropped 28% from the previous year. Still, the iconography of a gorgeous woman competing with others for a tiara and sash remains influential. We all know a beauty queen when we see one. Pageantry has just taken on a new form. Women prepare all year and all their lives to go on shows like Love Island now. They have demanding fitness routines, constant hair and skin maintenance, not to mention all the sprays, needles and lasers necessary to look perfectly smooth on camera. It's like taking on a second job to spend an uncertain amount of time in the spotlight. 'Though pageant culture is declining … reality TV has supplanted [pageants] as an opportunity to be seen and compete, and for our culture to see beautiful young women in swimsuits,' director Penny Lane, whose four-part docuseries Mrs. America premiered at Tribeca Festival in June, tells Yahoo. Lane and her documentary team followed contestants competing to win the crown at the pageant for married women 18 and older, which the film is named after. She was drawn to Mrs. America in particular because it felt 'rebellious' compared to most other pageants, which exclude women who aren't young and unmarried. For example, Miss America, the country's most popular pageant, requires contestants to be single, childless and under the age of 28. 'If you think of it this way, that means older married women are not interesting to the beauty pageant world … only those who are sexually available,' Lane says. 'If you're a woman, you're expected to spend your entire life killing yourself to look hot ... it's considered by many to be a virtue — the effort to present a beautiful exterior to the world.' Physical attractiveness is only half of your score in a pageant. The other half comes from how well women are able to package their life stories into quick interviews with judges and answer an off-the-cuff question onstage. 'You have to quickly mine your deepest trauma — not always, but generally — then package it up to have a happy ending and a call to action to demonstrate that this thing you went through was worth it because it's now who you are,' Lane says. You have to do that to get a good arc on reality TV, as well — and in modern life. 'Contestant energy' Former pageant contestants say the demands of pageantry aren't necessarily bad. They teach self-confidence and poise. Laura J. Kaminer has been in the pageantry circuit for 33 years, 10 of which she spent actively competing. In 2003, she won Mrs. South Carolina United States. She's now a pageant emcee, and her husband judges them. 'My parents were interested in grooming me for life by teaching me etiquette, poise and instilling self-confidence. I took modeling classes, which taught us things like how to walk, interview skills, basic manners and more,' she says. 'Pageants were sort of like the 'recitals' of modeling and manners class.' Kaminer sees the 'DNA of pageantry' all over pop culture, from the 'contestant energy' people have on reality TV to the way people brand themselves on social media. 'The ability to have a stage presence, work a room and communicate publicly are all skills seen in traditional pageantry,' she says. 'Shows like The Bachelor and other reality series have a pageant-like structure: Appearance, interviews, elimination rounds and even crowns. Pageantry has simply been rebranded. Even as elements of pageantry are put more obviously on display in reality TV, the competitions themselves are evolving too. Megan Celestini, who won Ms. Woman Florida United States in 2017, tells Yahoo that pageantry is not just about how you walk and talk on stage anymore. 'Organizations, and even the judges in your interviews, are looking for you to translate your story into something compelling, visual and authentic that resonates with others,' she says. 'Many of them seemingly now prioritize contestants who can maintain a social media presence, recruit new participants and connect with brands — all while staying current with cultural trends in beauty, fashion and digital storytelling. I've even had judges directly ask me how many followers I have on social media.' She noted that Nia Sanchez, who stars in the reality show The Valley, was first Miss USA. Taylor Hale, a former Miss Michigan USA, appeared on CBS's Big Brother. Hannah Brown, Caelynn Bell (née Miller-Keyes) and Hannah Ann Sluss are all pageant veterans who made their mark on Bachelor Nation. The lines between entertainment, pageantry and social media are more blurred than ever, so to win at any of them, you'll need to blend them all. But some say pageantry's reach is even more visible than on television; it's become ingrained in the way we interact with one another every day. Marie Nicola, a pop culture historian, is also a former beauty pageant contestant. She was a pageant coach after she stopped competing, before appearing on reality TV shows. She has a different perspective. 'I don't think that it's that pageantry has taken over popular culture — more so than we now live in a hypervisible society. Hypervisibility has absorbed the demands of pageantry, in particular the pageant-like behaviours [like] polish, performance, public storytelling without any of the structure, ritual or reward of pageants,' she says. Competing to be seen Pageant skills are tools for survival. In a way, we're all just competing to be seen. Influencers with pageant backgrounds demonstrate this daily. Nicola sees this in Jordon Hudson, a Miss Maine USA runner-up who made a name for herself as football coach Bill Belichick's girlfriend and 'creative muse.' She carries herself with the same calm they teach in titleholder training. Hannah Neeleman, a Mrs. America winner and Ms. World competitor known to her millions of followers online as Ballerina Farm, channels her mastery of femininity and aesthetics into her posts. 'This isn't about competition in the traditional sense — it's about the cultural pressure to curate your identity before someone else defines it for you, or worse, claims your curated identity for themselves,' Nicola says. 'It's not the judging that matters now, it's the potential to be judged at all times. The camera might not be rolling, but the audience is still there. The discipline, narrative control and self-presentation that pageantry once required is now a baseline for public life.' Mike Fahey is a judge in the Miss USA system. He knows we're all being judged all the time online. 'More and more, we are asked to curate our own appearances, not just in the flesh but also as spectral selves,' he tells Yahoo. 'It's always been a contest between the real you and the you that you kind of almost are. To see well, in the flesh or as an apparition on a screen, is to be well-seen.' Love Island USA winner Espinal is the reigning queen of reality TV, having won the summer's biggest 'pageant.' She's now returning home to a new stage as a TV star and an influencer, having gained 2.9 million Instagram followers in the last month, according to social media data website Social Blade. Though she might hold the crown, everyone on TV, social media and in real life is presenting and posturing all the time. It's less of an indication that pageantry is seeping into pop culture, and more of a revelation of what our culture truly values: appearances. 'It's all about presentation. It's all about being a good little pageant girl,' Fahey says. 'We regard the sort of person who can distill that way of living to a few well-chosen, well-put words as the sort of winner we want to be. And, more creepily, the sort of winner we also want to emulate. That trend didn't originate with pageants, but they certainly helped practice it.' Solve the daily Crossword
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Miss Heilala 2025 embraces her calling to inspire Tonga's future
Siosi'ana Taumoepeau says she is rooted in faith and guided by her love for the Kingdom of Tonga. Photo: Facebook / Miss Heilala Pageant "It's been a whirlwind," is how Miss Heilala 2025, Siosi'ana Patricia Lavulo Robert Taumoepeau, describes the past few days following her crowning glory last weekend. Speaking from the island Kingdom to PMN Tonga, Taumoepeau shared the overwhelming love and support she has received from around the world. "It's been such a blessing to have so much of my family with me here, both from the Kingdom of Tonga, but also from around the world to support," she says. "I'm just feeling very honoured and very grateful." Born in Germany and raised in the United States and Canada, Taumoepeau has deep roots in France and the Kingdom of Tonga. She proudly represents the villages of Fasi Moe Afi, Kotu, Kolofo'ou, Kolomotua, Ha'avakatolo, Tuanuku, Pangai, Ha'afeva, and Hihifo. At 24 years old, Taumoepeau is an alumna of Biola University in California, where she earned her degree in Business Marketing and Management, with a minor in Biblical and Theological Studies. Her decision to enter the pageant came after completing a two-year training programme with a non-profit organisation during last year's Heilala Festival. When her family asked her what her next step would be, her cousin encouraged her. "As we were talking about the Heilala, my cousin said, 'I think this is your time to go'," Taumoepeau explains. "After a lot of prayer and reflection and time with mentors and family, I felt like the Lord is calling me to come back to the Kingdom to serve and to represent our family." Her academic journey has strengthened her foundation in faith, leadership, and service. As a devout Christian, Taumoepeau has delivered aid, hope, and healing to global communities through the humanitarian organisation, Samaritan's Purse. Taumoepeau gives all glory to God for the abundant blessings she has received. "The Lord really was knocking on my heart and used a lot of people to encourage me, which was a huge blessing and led me to where I am now." Siosi'ana Taumoepeau won the Best Puletaha, Best Sarong Wear, Miss Popularity/Miss Internet, Miss Photogenic, and Miss Tourism categories. Photo: Facebook / Miss Heilala Pageant Taumoepeau follows in the footsteps of her mother, Anita Roberts, who was crowned Miss Heilala in 1997. Together, they are Tonga's first mother-daughter duo to have both won the title. "It's been such a blessing to have my mom with me and just her giving me inspiration throughout this process," Taumoepeau says. "Her experience in it firsthand and now as a mother going through it, it's been very sweet for both of us." By winning the pageant, Miss Heilala is more than just a beauty queen, she becomes a role model, an ambassador, and a symbol of the strength and grace of Tongan women. As Miss Heilala, Taumoepeau will play a key role in promoting the Tonga Tourism Association (TTA) and representing the Kingdom in the global tourism industry. The title also offers the potential to compete in global pageants like Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss Pacific Islands. Taumoepeau has quickly started her duties, making an appearance at the Heilala International 9s Rugby League Tournament. "I'm realising the weight that the title holds and the influence and the potential of encouraging and inspiring our youth." Miss Heilala 2024-2025 Racheal Angelica o Manakakapu Guttenbeil performs her final tau'olunga as the title holder. Photo: Facebook / Miss Heilala Pageant As for the issues she wants to highlight, Taumoepeau is focussing on family, youth, and the future. As Tonga advances technologically, Taumoepeau hopes to bridge generational differences and increase accessibility by digitising the Kingdom's rich history, stories, and traditions. "I'm passionate about a lot of issues, but the one that I've always been passionate about, ever since I was young, is generational faith," she says. "Whether it's school or through church or through our family, the generational wealth and passing that down to our youth, encouraging those relationships." Siosi'ana placed first runner-up in the Island Creation category. Photo: Facebook / Miss Heilala Pageant "Hopefully, through social media, tell a lot of our stories, both from the youth perspective and the older generation," Taumoepeau says. "Doing interviews or podcasts to share the story of our Kingdom with such a rich history and culture that, I feel, hasn't been shared with the world quite yet." Taumoepeau admits that the full weight of her crown hasn't fully set in, but she aims to serve Tonga with humility. "I think with any leadership role, you realise that when you have influence, there's a different accountability that's held to you, and especially with those formalities. "So I think I'm just praying and asking others to just give me any bit of wisdom to steward and capitalise on this opportunity for our people, for our nation, and for our Lord."
