Beauty pageants have been in existence for as long as I can remember. They were notorious for measuring women's beauty according to European standards, which usually favoured white, slim, and tall women with straight hair. 

In South Africa, during the apartheid era, Black women were not allowed to enter Miss South Africa. They could only participate in Miss Africa South, which saw Pearl Gladys Jansen winning the title in 1970. Later that year, Jansen was allowed to enter Miss World with Jillian Jessup, who came fifth at the Miss SA competition. At Miss World, Jansen came second – a historic moment as she was the first South African to hold such a title on an international stage. However, due to the widespread apartheid during that time, her win didn’t mean much. When she returned to South Africa, she had no opportunities and had to find work to make ends meet.

In 2020, Jansen was invited to London for the premiere of Misbehaviour, a movie that pays tribute to the 1970 Miss World pageant. Speaking to Daily Mail, Jansen says her friendship with Jessup wasn’t real. It was a facade for the media. “The only time I saw Jillian was when we took photographs together. I never communicated with her. I never had that rapport with her, ever. Because at the back of my mind, I was like ‘ah, you’re a boer, you’re white, you oppress me’ .” The 72-year-old now lives with her dogs in Bonteheuwel, Western Cape, and survives on a SASSA (South African Social Security Agency) pension grant.

Black women making history in big-league pageants

Over the years, there has been a significant change, where Black women take centre stage by winning beauty pageants. In commemoration of Black History Month, we look at the first Black women who won in big league pageants. 

Jennifer Hosten, Miss World 1970

The Grenadian beauty made history when she became the first Black woman to win Miss World 1970, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on November 20th. Her crowning glory had a lot of drama as there was a protest during the contest, making it the most watched pageant at the time. It had more than 22 million viewers in the U.K and more than 100 million worldwide. Sadly, her win wasn’t celebrated much as the media wasn't in favour of a Black woman winning the title. “I had expected the newspapers to say, ‘Grenada has won’, or something quite flattering. 

Instead, the headline said, ‘Miss World is Black, and is she the most beautiful girl in the world?’,” Hosten tells Time newspaper. She adds, “That was rather sad because that took away quite a lot from the feeling of elation that I would have felt otherwise.” After fulfilling her duties as Miss World, Hosten became a senior diplomat for her country where she worked in international development, launched a business, and trained as a psychotherapist. In 2020 she released an autobiography, Miss World 1970: How I Entered a Pageant and Wound Up Making History, which talks about her life as a flight attendant before becoming Miss World. 

Janelle Commissiong, Miss Universe 1977

On July 16, 1977, Commissiong of Trinidad and Tobago became the first Black woman to win Miss Universe. Not only that, but she also was named Miss Photogenic at the event held at the National Theatre in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – making her the first Black woman to win both titles. After winning Miss Universe, she became an advocate for Black rights and world peace, and received the highest possible award any Trinidadian and Tobagonian can receive – the Trinity Cross. The Fashion Institute of Technology graduate is now a successful businesswoman. 

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Evelyn Abena Akuaba Appiah, Miss Grand International 2020

The Ghanaian-American musical therapist, also famous in the pageant scenes, participated in the Top Model of the World competition in 2013. The following year, she represented Ghana at the Miss Universe competition, followed by the Queen Beauty Universe pageant in 2016, where she won. And in 2020, she represented the USA at the Miss Grand International, making her the first Black woman to win the title. 

Currently, she is focusing on her music career and has released a few singles, including “No Hit and Run” and “No More Hate”. She helps young women master their skills for the entertainment industry whilst working as a case manager in a mediation and arbitration firm in the USA. 

Winfred Adah Omwakwe, Miss Earth 2002

Luck was on her side when Omwakwe moved from being the first runner-up to Miss Earth. At the second edition of Miss Earth in 2002, hosted at the Folk Arts Theatre in Pasay, in the Philippines, on October 29, Džejla Glavovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was crowned Miss Earth. However, her victory was short-lived. She was stripped of the crown in May 2003 for failing to comply with the stipulations of her contract. 

As the first runner-up, Omwakwe took over the reins and became Miss Earth – thus making her the first Black woman and African to hold the title. After winning, she moved to Canada to study nursing. Omwakwe later became a Public Relations and Communications specialist and graduated from the International University of Monaco. She supports the Kenya Human Rights Commission, UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), and Save the Children. 

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