3 Reasons Miss Jamaica 2017 is #1 at Miss Universe 2017

On a whim I tuned in to watch the Miss Universe 2017 pageant after getting a random notification about it from a Facebook friend. As y’all know I’m from the U.S. Virgin Islands so I jumped on to route for our representative Esonica Veira and quite frankly all the other brown girls pursuing the crown. Sadly Esonica did not make it, but there was one contestant in the group of 91 ladies that no one could ignore, Davina Bennett representing the beautiful island of Jamaica. While Davina did not win (she placed 2nd runner up), I couldn’t help but feel a sense of something really ground breaking in the midst.

There are 3 main reasons why Miss Jamaica was the big winner at Miss Universe and the common denominator is representation.

Women of color and specifically black women participating in this pageant and others all over the world is nothing new. However the fact that Davina Bennett with her high levels of melanin magic claimed the title of Miss Jamaica, is something in of itself. Skin bleaching is a serious problem specifically in Jamaica. With the perception that brown and “light” skin is better than dark skin, many women bleach their whole bodies with various creams disregarding the damage and health concerns they pose.

While there were many women of color on that stage, the thing that made Davina standout the most is her 4c textured, undefined, tapered afro. The vision of this woman not conforming to ANY European standards and daring to be completely herself touched me to the point that tears of pride were shed. I feel like there’s an unspoken pressure to “do something with” our natural hair when it comes to very important and special events. Whether it’s prom, an interview, and in  Davina’s case competing for Miss Jamaica and Miss Universe. Often times the “do something”-options are a slick bun, a protective style, weave, or a silk press. Davina choosing to wear her perfectly shaped afro when wearing a straight and silky style is the “safer” option was definitely a take me as I am, love it or hate it moment.

As if pushing shredding the envelope with her melanin rich team natural champion-self, wasn’t enough, she spoke.  My accent is always something that is brought up when people hear me speak. Even though many people think my accent and various accents from around the world are beautiful, there are many ignorant people out there that associate anything “foreign” with less than (intelligence, competence, etc.). Whether you’re not speaking proper English or  you’re disowning your roots by speaking like you’re from the states, you just can’t win for losing sometimes. None of this influenced Miss Jamaica’s vernacular at all ‘tall. (aka Yanking). The richness of her Jamaican accent literally gave me chills and I became a proud Internet-sister when she nailed her response.

Her mere presence on that stage I can say for a fact was all the inspiration little brown girls growing up needs to see. It’s exactly what other girls with dark skin, afros, and/or from little islands needed to see. It serves as a reminder that you are beautiful exactly the way you are. When it comes to me personally, it truly uplifted my spirits and hope that society will eventually accept us wholeheartedly for our skin color, our hair texture, and our culture in all spaces. Beyond the need for unconditional acceptance and acknowledgement, Miss Jamaica