Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Miss Jamaica World 1993, Lisa Hanna (left) and Miss Jamaica World 2006, Sara Lawrence (right). - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Although franchise holder Mickey Haughton-James remains enthusiastic, not everyone is as convinced about the Miss Jamaica World pageant's worth. Dr. Donna Hope, author and lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, states "We're living in a materialistic world, so in terms of that they (beauty pageants) are relevant to the society we are living in. Depending on how we look, how beautiful you think you are, it might make you feel bad. Research has shown it affects the self-esteem; young girls try to model themselves off these young girls."

Haughton-James maintains, though, that Miss Jamaica World winners bring confidence to youths everywhere and the pageant assists the women themselves. "The competition does a lot for the girls, both physically and otherwise. All of them wanted to meet the Prime Minister, and they did. If you saw the girls at first and saw them after we trained them, people remarked on what a difference," he said.

Social positioning

In 'Black bedroom conflict', published in The Gleaner, Hope states "Jamaican women are reminded that beauty, as defined by the Miss Jamaica (World) and Miss Jamaica Universe beauty contests on an annual basis, still rests on a close approximation to the European phenotype, coupled with high social positioning.

"We still teach that kind of mentality in this world. Although we had Terri-Karelle Griffiths, people were surprised when she won. Recently we have tried to change it. I was looking back at some old magazines from in the '40s, '50s onwards, where images of beauty we have now are the same as back then. We're stuck in the past," she continued.

Hope says "It comes from our dated history. Europeans set up a system through which they were dominant. We have held on to the colonial past. Eurocentric images of beauty still holds sway. The 'browning' is the popular image of the epitome of beauty."

Sending the brown, long-haired Jamaican girl to enter the Miss

World pageant has been the formula for many years, a formula one could say has not been successful as was hoped. Hope elaborates that "we haven't been doing well. The last Miss World was Lisa Hanna in 1993. I can't even remember if we have had any in the top three since then. One of the reasons for this is that we have been trying the same formula. If you notice, our models are doing a lot better. They are dark skinned, ordinary, from different social standings and backgrounds. Look at Nadine Willis, She is popular and doing excellently globally".

Blend

"Jamaicans blend into the scene. How do they look different and act differently from other contestants? Some of the contestants have paled into the woodwork. Look at a dark skinned girl from Trinidad who stood out and reached farther than the Jamaican girl. I think Jamaica is putting out one image of ourselves. Other types of girls enter and don't make the final cut. More girls who do not fit the mould should be allowed a chance, both Miss Universe and Miss World. We have so many different types of beauty here in Jamaica. We need to be more confident as a people so that we don't feel obligated to send a certain type. I know people outside of Jamaica who thought all Jamaicans were light skinned because that's all they saw in pageants like those," Hope said.

Hope says "most of the girls are quite adept; they have tertiary level education. Internationally a lot more things are being offered. Some approach the contest as only a beauty competition, while internationally they are bi-lingual, tri-lingual and do things in their communities. Our girls need to step up to the plate".

Lisa-Ann Robinson, public relations representative for Miss Jamaica World, says "anyone is allowed to enter as long as they adhere to international standards, which is they must be 17 - 25, never been married, never had a child... We also try to encourage girls from who are in Jamaica but are of Jamaican heritage, either born here or there parents are born here".

Haughton-James disagrees with hope. "I think all the criticisms are out the door now. There was a time when people like light-skinned, pretty girls could win. The girls you see entering now like Teri and Sara, they would not have entered previously because they didn't think they stood a chance. They didn't think they had a chance against light-skinned, long-haired girls. When you have pretty girls with height, stature like Sara, they have a better chance of winning. Miss World expects a beautiful black girl from Jamaica. We weren't having a lot of girls with university degrees, but now there are beautiful girls with intelligence," he said.

"So its the reverse of what it was. The public vote hasn't caught on as yet; when it does you will find out who the public likes. The public vote was set up deliberately to help those girls like Teri to even the playing field. Sara won because she was the most beautiful and intelligent girl on stage. If you look at this year's top five, we are proud. There is a different colour spectrums; only in Jamaica can you find that range. We have arrived at a good point in the competition. Out of many one and we proved that this year," he said.