According to this ex-beauty queen, she is determined to use the platform she knows well to empower younger women by giving them a chance in the beauty world.
“I was once a beauty queen, I love fashion and I’m determined to use beauty pageantry as a platform to empower younger women. I will use it as a vehicle to pass good messages to people, create a stronger platform for young women to voice out their passion and work towards achieving their dreams. So, the next beauty pageant is on October 4,” she disclosed.
Lady Geoffrey-Porbeni still remembers vividly what her tenure was as a beauty queen.
“I was awarded ‘The Most Intelligent Queen’ at ‘The Miss Hospitality Nigeria’ beauty pageant which took place in 2009. I remember I had lots of projects I worked on. And from the popular cliché which says that once a lady is crowned queen she is always a queen, I’m still working very hard to affect my generation positively. Believe me, I have never relented! As you can see that among all my peers, I’m proud to say that I’m the last one standing. Though most of us are married, I’m still very much in the game,” she stressed.
Unveiling what stands her beauty pageant out as a person who had experienced what it is like to be a queen, she said that “presently the world is changing and young people are being used as an instrument of destruction, violence and terrorism. As a lover of peace, I have been looking for ways to pass important messages across to my country and the world. I’m glad that God has given me a concept with which to use to pass my message. Hence, I decided to use my pageantry as a medium to promote peace and unity in my country.”
She emphasises on what the participants stand to gain from the show.
“My beauty pageant is unique because it is a national programme that promotes peace and unity in Nigeria and brings into memory Nigeria’s independence. When I’m sourcing for contestants I opt for intelligent girls because my crown is also about beauty and brain.
“That is why after selecting them, I make sure that my crew and I create different activities that would educate them more on what we stand for and make them get better. They would be camped for seven days to be groomed thoroughly. We have lots of activities mapped out for them, including seminars and workshops, acquisition programmes for some of the models that want to be presenters. They would also be taught how to get hotter on catwalks, aerobic exercises, health management, cooking competition, etc. No beauty aspirant is expected to while away her time in camp,” she said.
Her queens are not meant only to wear beauty crowns and sash.
“The reason is that the sole objective of my pageant is to promote peace and unity in my country. Hence, my queens are meant to work/act on the objectives of the pageant. Though they may as well have their own personal projects,” she explained.
Lady Porbeni is however confronted with some challenges in what she does because no good thing comes easy.
“Finance is one of the major challenges. Nigerians are waiting for you to be a celebrity before they come out in force to support you even if your idea is meaningful and positive. But by God’s grace, I will get there. This is what I’m doing with a passion. If I have sponsors or not, I must move forward,” she said.
This workaholic says she enjoys every aspect of her job.
“I enjoy every part of my job because it is what I love to do and what thrills me most about my contestants is that they are all very determined to clutch the diamond-studded crown,” she said smilingly.
To some Nigerian mothers who don’t allow their daughters participate in beauty pageants believing that it is unnecessary exposure for the girl child, she has some words: “Parents if you don’t allow your daughters make use of their God-given creativity, they might end up choosing wrong profession. Please allow them discover themselves even if not through pageantries but through other heart-desired professions. I would like if parents could learn to support and guide them in their choice of career,” she said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment