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For some, pageants are all about the tiaras and glittery sashes. But for many young African girls, they’re so much more than just pretty dresses and runway walks.
Pageants are confidence factories. They’re spaces where girls find their voice, own their presence and get a taste of what it means to step boldly into a room and say, ‘Yes, I belong here’.
From the village stage to the international runway, countless African models have walked this path and many of them started small.
We’re talking community hall pageants, school talent shows, and Miss Teen neighbourhood contests with plastic crowns and DIY backdrops. But the glow-up? Real.
“That crown taught me more than just how to wal, it taught me how to speak, stand tall and believe in my worth, ” said Maria Borges, Angolan supermodel and Victoria’s Secret star.
Pageants teach young girls life skills in heels.
They learn how to express themselves, face rejection with grace and work a crowd like it’s second nature.
They get mentorship, build friendships and start building a personal brand whether they win or not.
And let’s be honest, in a world that often tells young Black girls they’re ‘too much’ or ‘not enough,’ pageants can be one of the few spaces where they’re told, “You are powerful. You are seen.”
“I was Miss KwaZulu-Natal Teen when I was 15. I didn’t win Miss South Africa, but I’m still standing in rooms I once dreamed of,” said Thando Hopa, model, lawyer and TIME 100 honouree.
Many of today’s top African models started off in pageants that barely had stage lights, but those early platforms were powerful stepping stones.
Zozibini Tunzi, the South African beauty queen who went on to become Miss Universe 2019, competed in local pageants long before she took the international crown and made history for embracing her natural hair.
Nyakim Gatwech, the South Sudanese-American model known as the ‘Queen of Dark,’ started off in small community pageants in Minneapolis, where she used the stage to challenge beauty stereotypes.
Leila Lopes, former Miss Angola and Miss Universe 2011, used her pageant journey to amplify causes around education and HIV/AIDS and now travels the world as a humanitarian and businesswoman.
“Pageants were the first time I saw a girl who looked like me being celebrated. That changed everything,” she has been quoted saying.
The Real Win? Self-Worth.Whether or not a girl walks away with a crown, she walks away changed.
She’s spoken in front of strangers. She’s answered tough questions. She’s stood under the spotlight and said, “I’m here.”
In a time where social media is quick to criticise and cancel, pageants remind young girls that poise, passion and purpose still matter.
It’s not about becoming Miss Something Forever, it’s about what that experience awakens inside her.
So the next time you hear someone say pageants are outdated or unnecessary, remind them: Crowns aren’t just for looks. Sometimes, they’re the first spark of a future queen in the making.
Former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi also started off at small peagants in her home country South Africa before making it onto the big stages. (Courtesy pic)