Mount Edgecombe’s Sasha Naidoo has reached the semi-finals in the Miss International South Africa pageant, a national pageant and an official preliminary to the third biggest pageant in the world, and has her eyes on the crown.
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid, Naidoo said: “I could barely conceal my delight once I received the email stating I made it as a semi-finalist, but I felt a true jolt of excitement once I found that I was the only female from an Indian ethnic background representing my community. I was motivated to enter this pageant to build self-confidence and promote women empowerment. I believe that women fight an unspoken war every day and Miss International South Africa provides a platform for me to use my voice to uplift women and be a beacon of hope.” Naidoo holds two degrees and is currently studying towards her Psychology degree. She is also a business owner, but beneath the external layers, she describes herself as overall being down to earth. “I am very diplomatic; I love immersing myself in adrenaline adventures or a good board game.” She recalled her very first modelling experience in 2016. “I entered a varsity pageant which I won, shortly thereafter a member from the Miss KZN Top Model board contacted me and before I knew it I got offered a contract overseas which I had to unfortunately turn down, and everything took off from that point. My first experience was an insane moment, there’s always ten different things going on backstage from the final adjustments to the crazy up-dos and seamless makeup. But the chaos was totally fun. There’s always a sense of sisterhood amongst the models which is the highlight for me,” said Naidoo.
She has modelled for the Vodacom Durban July, showcasing looks from brands such as Edgars, Queenspark, Poetry and Kryolan Makeup. Naidoo holds the Miss KZN 2016 title and was crowned Miss KZN 1st Princess in 2018. Expressing why she deserved to be the next Miss International South Africa, Naidoo said: “Every girl whom I’m competing against is confident, beautiful and hardworking but what really sets me apart from them and the reason why I should win is that I recognise that this is a job. A responsibility to ensure stability amongst young girls and the long-term development of nations. Our system needs a queen who isn’t afraid to go out in her community and not only represent her country/nation but to be actively involved.” When asked what she really thought about beauty pageants and if there is more to them than just beauty she responded: “Looking cute is the main attraction of these events. But when the lights go down, we strive to be there for that young woman who doesn’t believe in herself and wrestles constantly with her self-appointed battles.” Given the platform to work in and with the community, Naidoo would like to see contributions to educational causes. “It’s essential that kids start learning and understanding diversification and social causes from an early age, so we can start appreciating not only what our country gives us but to love and celebrate each other as one,” she said. Her message to other young women out there is: “Love your authentic self, we tend to place our self-worth on external factors but we need to remember that God makes no mistakes. Don’t let social media set limitations and unrealistic expectations of success. Instead define beauty and success on your own terms.” The finals of Miss International South Africa will be held between November and December, in Johannesburg.
