Miss Winter ’16 has big plans for future
Linda Chidi's favourite part of pageants is the charity work
POLOKWANE – Never mind what people have to say about you, just pray to the Lord and reach for your goals – Miss Winter Polokwane 2016, Linda Chidi.
The 17-year-old local beauty queen, more affectionately known as Snowy, was born and raised in Seshego Zone 4 and is currently a Gr 11 learner at Northern Academy.
Linda began taking part in beauty pageants at the age of nine when she started entering school related pageants and that is when she discovered her passion for pageants.
“I entered my first beauty pageant outside school at the age of 13 and won the Miss Seshego Junior title and the Little Miss Meropa First Princess title. My other titles include Miss SA Junior Teen 2016, Miss Polokwane 2015 and Miss Meropa 2013.” She says she got involved in pageants because she loved interacting with people, and being able to touch the lives of others in the process of helping her community makes it worth her while. Linda’s favourite part of pageants is the charity work.
“It’s a sad fact that while we enjoy our luxurious lives, there are people out there who are struggling to meet their basic needs such as a place to sleep or getting food to eat. It means a lot to me to be able to reach out to those people and help them,” she says.
Having recently been crowned Miss Polokwane Winter 2016, Linda says she will use her new title to do good for others in the community. “I plan to make an impact in my community and show them it doesn’t matter how big or far away your dreams and goals seem to be, one way or another, we all have the potential to reach them and we should not let anything stand in our way,” she says.
If she could change one thing about beauty pageants, Linda says it would be cancelling the rule of not allowing women with children to take part in certain pageants. “I think it is unfair to restrict someone from joining a pageant due to them having a child because the reason behind the person having a child could be the result of circumstances beyond their control,” she explains.
Linda’s hobbies include reading, working on charitable missions and modelling.
Her interests all revolve around the arts and include drawing and poetry. Looking ahead, Linda says she sees herself as an inspirational role model to the youth and the future generation in five years’ time.
“I see myself as an entrepreneur with my own modelling agency which not only accommodates future models but also those who are financially deprived and cannot afford reaching their goals without assistance,” she says.
