Miss Nigeria: We are ready to accept contestants who wear hijab —Organisers

Actually, the saying, ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ is not an internationally recognised wisdom for beauty pageantry. The game most times is to set standards, stringent physical appearance criteria, which contestants must meet in other to contest for the crown. Over the years, however, these standards (like perfect facial contour, height, body shape, body mass, skin texture, among others) have led to the prioritisation of the beauty of the body more than other beauties.

And with the high premium given to physical appearance, eventual beauty queens come off to society as icons of the sensual and the immoral rather than leaders (queens) and beacons of the intellect. Parents have refrained their daughters from participating, while intelligent women shy away from the competition being apparently outnumbered and unfit.
Last week, nevertheless, the Times Multimedia, the promoters of Miss Nigeria beauty competition, Nigeria’s oldest beauty pageantry established in 1957, took an unusual step. It announced that it was turning the hands of time to when it celebrated the inherent virtues of young female leaders rather than their physiques.
Announcing the modalities for this year’s competition, the Chief Executive Officer, Times Multimedia, Ms Enyinne Owunwanne said, “No height prescriptions, no weight prescriptions, no swimsuit programme, nor any competition that exudes immodesty.
“We are looking to groom next generation female leaders; women who have the ability to turn what they do into a movement; women who attract great following not because of how they look, but because of what they represent; we are looking for young women who will use the platform for a good cause; women of intelligence, diligence and civic responsibility.”
Stating further, she argued that, “beauty fades, beauty cannot always pay your bills and beauty will not make Nigeria great again. Only intelligence and passion can move this country forward and we are committed to discovering women with these qualities.”
Making the 41st edition and the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the pageantry, participants will be expected from the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory from where states’ representatives are selected after the call-to-entry exercise.
Speaking about ensuring an all-inclusive participation in a country with diverse cultural, religious and ethical leanings and interested diaspora, Mrs. Konnie Agu, the Group Head, Business Development, Folio Media Group sister company of Times Multimedia, disclosed efforts the organisation had made towards educating the public about its novel initiative and that it will give interested young women a chance to participate in the competition irrespective of their linings in the society.
She said: “We have tried to educate people using different social media platforms. Miss Nigeria is for all Nigerian young women between ages 18 and 25. She must be in good health and character, must not be married, a mother or pregnant. She would need to have at least an SSCE. She must also speak fluent English and not have any visible tattoos or body piercings.
“We do not mind contestants with their faces covered, contestants who wear hijab. It is about the heart, it is about the person. Maybe at some point, we will see her face, but it is not really about beauty that is what we are trying to say,” she noted.
The event, which will be held on the 21st of December 2017 in Lagos State, had begun a call-to-entry in three states namely Abuja, Port Harcourt and Lagos as well as online platform audition for Nigerians in the diaspora. And while it seems that Miss Nigeria organisation is taking the lead in addressing what has become a social menace in Nigeria, it is also expected that the organisation set structures to ensure the sustainability of its ideals.