When Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, was crowned as the winner of the 2019 Miss Universe competition last Sunday night, the African (black) community erupted in celebration of the dark skinned, natural-fade wearing contestant taking the win. After all it’s been 8 years since the last black contestant took home the title, and Tunzi’s win means that Miss America, Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and now Miss Universe are all black women this year.
Outspoken about the importance of the African sense of beauty, the 26-year-old had this to say prior to her win, “I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me — with my kind of skin and my kind of hair — was never considered to be beautiful. I think it is time that stops today. I want children to look at me and see my face, and I want them to see their faces reflected in mine.”
Zozibini also has a righteous stance when it comes to pressing issues like climate change. During the Top 5 question and answer segment, she stated that individuals, government leaders and corporations should all be taking action toward protecting our dying planet.
South Africa has produced an outstanding contestant this year for the Miss Universe Pageant. She comes in contrast to the 2018 contestant who was the typical light skinned woman with long flowing hair that we typically see representing black countries. Zozibini also differs from the white 2017 South Africa contestant, who also won the Miss Universe Crown.
Diversity: An attempt to save imperialism
Many have championed the crowning of the new Miss Universe as “diversity” and “representation.” Due to the current state of imperialism being in crisis, the white ruling class is forced to diversify the contest and push dark skinned African women such as Zozibini to the forefront and in an attempt to save a dying imperialism.
They can’t have a “world” contest but only parade white women who represent less than 10 percent of the world’s population.
This “diversification” of the Miss Universe competition represents a cultural imperialism where skin colors and hair textures may change, but the contestants’ body types and actions must still be bound to what the white world deems as acceptable.
Of the myriad of women who have participated in the Miss Universe and Miss World competitions, we will be hard pressed to find a contestant who isn’t tall, weighs over 120 pounds and steps out of the typical slender Barbie-like build. The contestants also have to be poised, educated and aren’t allowed to stray very far from the status quo when it comes to expressing their thoughts and opinions. This contest reinforces a certain colonial standard on what and how women should be.
Pageants in general function to objectify women in colonial society, after all, where are the men’s pageants? The Mr. Worlds and Mr. Universes? These don’t exist but we have plenty of contests that feature women parading around in bathing suits to be judged.
But what about representation?
We can cheer representation with the crowning of a chocolate sista, but what is this really worth if she is still built like a Barbie? Some may say that it will take time for big butts, thick thighs, a chunkier built or more muscular appearance to become accepted in the beauty pageant world, but the problem lies in that what’s deemed beautiful is still being dictated and reinforced by our oppressors.
We are basing our pride on whims of people dedicated to upholding the colonial status quo, people who can very easily select yet another white or light skinned woman to represent the world.
Representation doesn’t quite cut it when white power is dictating who gets to represent us and how, through what means, and where we get this representation from.
In the process of building a new world, we have to realize the contradictions that come with beauty pageants and decide for ourselves whether these are things we want to continue.
