With Jamaica the keeper of the Miss World crown until it is officially handed over at the next staging of the competition, Crown of Beauty Jamaica, the franchise holders of Miss Jamaica World, are pulling out all the stops to ensure that the island “is represented, and represented well”, in Puerto Rico in December.
“We have the queen, and we have the responsibility to put on a good show. Julia [Morely, chairman and CEO of Miss World Organisation] is very pleased with Toni-Ann and thinks she did a great job. However, Toni-Ann is very passionate about charity work [and] COVID prevented her from doing some of the things that she wanted. So it will be a bit bittersweet, but I know that she will continue her charity long after Miss World,” Dahlia Harris, co-franchise holder of Miss Jamaica World, told The Gleaner.
The 15 finalists in the 2021 pageant were unveiled last Saturday at the sashing and public announcement of the contestants held at the Jamaica Pegasus poolside. It was a sashing with a difference as unlike previous years, the girls had participated in a month-long training session, pre-sashing, rather than after the fact. The sessions were aimed at personal development and improving their pageant skills.
“We felt that it was important to do that developmental training before, and it definitely worked. We have a diverse group of girls from all over Jamaica in the contest this year – St Mary, Gutters, Mandeville, Dominique is from Florida – and it was necessary to bring everybody up to speed,” Harris, who has taken on a ‘Mother’ role said of her charges. Her pride was evident.
“The girls are bright, confident, and really great troopers. With all that is happening with the pandemic and curfews, we have had to shift and change every week, hosting grooming sessions on Zoom, and they all turn up, dressed, ready to go without any complaints. All the trainers who have worked with them come back and say the same thing, ‘Oh my, what a great set of girls.’ I am very happy that in a pandemic year, we were able to get a wonderful group of girls,” Harris stated.
This year, the organisers are working to align themselves more with how the competition is structured at the Miss World level and, therefore, some new features have been introduced. On Saturday, it was announced that 15 designers had been paired with each contestant for the Miss Jamaica World Top Model Fast Track Event. In addition to the runway for this event, there will now be a photoshoot, and Harris explained that this is how it is done at Miss World.
The designers, who were selected by Jamaica Business Development Corporation, will create mini collections with four looks for each contestant, an editorial, a commercial, a signature piece to be worn on the runway, and a national costume.
“The national costume with the winning design will be worn by Miss Jamaica World at the Miss World finals in Puerto Rico in December. So even if the winning designer wasn’t paired with the girl who eventually wins the competition, that is the design that she will wear,” Harris said for clarity.
This Saturday will see the first of the Fast Track Challenges, starting with the Miss Jamaica World Fitness event. “It will be a Beep Test, and they will be running between the cones. They will be required to do sit-ups, push-ups, and the last girl standing will win. We have a contestant who did tracks at school, so this will be interesting. And the winner of the challenges automatically qualify for a place in the Top 10. I always say that if you win a Fast Track Challenge, then you are halfway there,” an excited Harris said.
Although her enthusiasm is at optimum, Harris pointed out that this year was particularly challenging in the area of sponsorship. “If it wasn’t for COVID, we would have been able to build on the momentum of Toni-Ann’s win. Sponsorship has been extremely difficult because it is virtual, and some brands don’t see the value without an audience. Some brands have changed hands, and some of the new persons don’t see the alignment. But we are still open for sponsorship in cash or kind, so anybody who wants to can come on board,” was Harris’s appeal.
Miss Jamaica World 2021 will be crowned on September 26. Jamaican Toni-Ann Singh is the current titleholder and also Miss World.
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