A decades-long perception of pageant queens being the epitome of beauty and having no flaws is misconstrued, according to reigning Miss SA Ndavi Nokeri, whose Miss Universe campaign highlights that beauty comes with imperfections at the prestigious pageant. The pageant will be taking place in the US on Saturday and will air in SA on Sunday.
The 23-year-old plans to amplify this message during the swimsuit round of the competition in which all of the 84 contestants will be required to showcase their custom-made capes that were inspired by either a message that supports their cause or their country. This cape will then be auctioned and the proceeds donated to charity.
Nokeri’s cape design titled "Perfectly Imperfect", which she worked on with iDesign SA‘s Ashlyn Atkinson as well as painter Sinead Fletcher, pays homage to the voices of SA women with a message of redefining beauty shining through.
“Throughout the centuries women have been made to feel unworthy based on any physical characteristics that might not have been desirable for the male gaze. With the SA cape, and also as part of a broader message of the Miss Universe platform, women are reclaiming the narrative around their bodies and what makes them beautiful,” Nokeri said.
Nokeri said that all women are beautiful and should not have to be upheld to a certain beauty standard to be considered as such.
“For me the design represents liberation to be free from other people’s expectations of what I, or any woman, should look like in order to be considered beautiful. Beauty has no definition, it has no skin tone, it has no size and it is definitely not perfect,” she said.
Atkinson believes that the cape will make all women feel beautiful and united regardless of their differences.
“I hope that the design emphasises that all women are beautiful in their own uniquely imperfect way. The Miss Universe contestants come from around the world and have different shapes and skin tones. The one thing that truly makes women beautiful is our shared womanhood, our cellulite, our stretch marks, our scars, our curves, our different sized breasts, our different hair and our voices,” she said.
Last month, the beauty queen showcased two other dazzling designs in which she’ll be representing the country at the 71st instalment of the pageant. Firstly, a brightly hued Tsonga-inspired ensemble created by local designer Sello Medupe and a golden stone-encrusted farewell gown by Juan Visser of Juan William Aria.
While Nokeri is hard at work to bring the title home for the fourth time, viewers can catch all her stunning Miss Universe looks during the finale which will air on 1Magic on Sunday.
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