For the first time in South Africa’s beauty pageant history, transgender women are allowed to compete. The Miss South Africa organization published the eligibility news on their website this past Wednesday, a historic move that was met with lots of excitement and approval on social media.
Responses like, “We all deserve favor and grace,” and “Finally inclusivity takes center stage,” were tweeted by users from all over the country and around the world. Although South Africa’s constitution was the first in the world to ban discrimination based on sexuality, homophobia and transphobia are still prevalent social issues.
The pageant world appears to be turning a new leaf and is now breaking beauty stereotypes. This change comes after the first transgender contestant to be featured in the pageant, Miss Spain, Angela Ponce, competed in 2018.
This is wonderful news for representation and inclusivity and hopefully will uplift marginalized and underrepresented communities, as well as encourage other countries to do the same.
