Women shy away from beauty pageant for pregnant women

Correspondent | Monday July 28, 2014 18:17

 

When it finally takes off in November, the unique beauty pageant however could parade proud mothers, who appear to see this new initiative as opening doors to mothers to win a beauty pageant crown.

Youth Empowerment Through Talent (YETT) is for the first time in Botswana staging a Miss Young Mom Botswana 2014, a beauty pageant for young mothers and expectant women.

“We intend to shift mindsets, to awaken the world to celebrate the woman exactly as she is,” said the founder of YETT, Michelle Laone Kuba.  “I have been modelling my entire life; my dreams don’t have to stop because I am now a mother.

“We need platforms to allow young mothers to blossom and celebrate their talents,” she added. The contest is expected to crown young mothers between the ages of 18 and 26 years. Asked why the age restriction, Kuba wrapped it up in a Setswana idiom “lore lo ojwa lo sa le metsi’. The unusual pageant however has attracted more mothers than expecting women. Which Kuba said could be due to fear of discrimination.

“There is still a stigma attached to having a child at a young age, especially if it’s out of wedlock. We are made to believe it’s the end of life, but we at YETT have taken upon our selves to change this stereotype.” According to Kuba, ‘Miss Young Mom’ is expected to be unlike any other contest. A panel of judges will be carefully appointed to select a charismatic, humble and passionate woman with a keen interest in her community.

 This will be done over an eliminatory, pre-judging system adopted by most beauty pageants these days. On issues of body sizes, stretch marks and ‘baby fat’, the organisers of ‘Miss Young Mom’ have clarified say, “Although we will not be having a swim wear parade, we are looking for someone who has embraced her body exactly as it is.”

A series of workshops and charity related activities will be held prior to the pageant grand finale.  “I am not in a position to disclose the prizes for the queen and her runner ups but all I can say for now is that the winner will work closely with organisations supporting young mothers,” said Kuba. The registration for auditions end on August 30th.

The pageant finale will be held in November. One hopeful contestant is Pearl Kgabo, a mother of a two-year-old boy. Kgabo couldn’t hide her excitement on this opportunity.

“I feel it’s a great platform to have more especially that my dreams to enter Miss Botswana were crushed when I had a baby. It will help restore confidence in many as young people are resorting to abortions and suicide to deal with disappointment,” she said.