IT'S UP TO THE JUDGE AND NOT THE JURY

I see that the latest topic of discussion is the issue of "fixing" or "rigging" of the results at Miss SA. Whether the allegations have merit or not, the truth is that the phenomenon is not unique, or new for that matter, to the Miss SA pageant or to pageants in general.

As much as we hate to admit it, the Miss SA title is not a prize, but a position, placement or job. With the title comes duties and responsibilities, and Miss SA should not just be a pretty face. Having said that, given the nature of the position, a pretty face and trim body do help.

Damn! I'm contradicting what I've said in previous posts. What I should say in this instance (and I've said this before) is that a Miss SA should have equal quantities of face, figure and personality (in that order). Face is foremost. The body one can always achieve through "panel beating" in a gym, and personality can be achieved through "electro-shock therapy" (strike this before the Human Rights Commission drags me before a tribunal).

Seriously though, as much as we want to believe that Miss SA is a possession of the people, she is a representative of the company that pays her bills and stands to lose money if they make the wrong choice. If she represents her directors and sponsors with dignity and discretion, and achieves results on the international stage, she has done her job well.

At the end of the day it is, therefore, the organisation's prerogative to decide which entrant best suits the needs of the company and it's marketing goals and objectives. If no-one in the pool of contestants meets these goals and objectives, then they should have the right to source or recruit a suitable candidate or winner.

Our individual differences, tastes, likes and dislikes are what make us all unique irrespective of any common traits or characteristics that we might have, and we will not all like (or dislike) the winner that was appointed. This unfortunately begs the question why the organisers go to the trouble of staging a pageant and don't just organise an awards dinner, but that's the topic of another post.