By Mmaditaba
The Miss South Africa pageant has made history after announcing that transgender women may now enter the competition.
The Miss SA pageant has received backlash in the past based on beauty standards that many South African women see as backwards and unrealistic.
In 2020, the hashtag #DearMissSA brought the institution which usually runs in the background into the spotlight when it was challenged by social media influencers to be more inclusive for all women.
The announcement was made on the pageant website as entries for a new Miss SA opened this week.
The Miss SA pageant has come under the spotlight recently for good and bad reasons.
Zozibini Tunzi, the outgoing Miss Universe put the institution and the country at the top with her Miss Universe reign being the longest in history and her message of women and girls taking up space in different industries was a message that resonated with many and gained her international stardom even out of the pageant world.
The current Miss SA, Shudufadzo Musida from Limpopo was bullied on social media shortly after her crowning and accused of “trying to be Zozi”.
But the queens showed that there was nothing but love between them when they stood up for each other.
You can’t deny there are issues in beauty pageants that need serious reform but the move to be more inclusive and allow trans women to take part is a big foot in the door towards inclusivity.
We can’t wait to see this in play at the next Miss SA pageant.
