Refusing to be defined by ‘failure’
Being family-orientated, Marika also wished to use the platform to denounce the scourge of gender-based violence, especially following Women's Day.
“We are not defined by what others think or say of us.”
Those were words of dismissed Mrs South Africa semi-finalist, Marika Opperman, who firmly refuses to be defined by ‘failure’ or what other people think of her.
Marika’s ambitions to hopefully walk away with the crown for Mrs SA 2020 fell short after she did not make the Top 50 which was announced on Sunday, 9 August.
Instead of feeling sorry for herself, the brave model has dusted herself off and moved on. She hinted that besides the work she had set out for herself for the pageant, she still plans to carry out her ambition of empowering women and children in the community. “Although I’m grateful of this short journey, I still have major plans for the future,” an optimistic Marika said.
Speaking about her journey, she said, “Honestly, I was very excited. I had worked extremely hard to get there. As models, we had to adapt to new methods to operate due to Covid-19. We were unable to go to our local communities physically and continue the incredible work the Women4Women Foundation does. We had to put all our focus and efforts into social media and learn to be creative in the process”.
Some of the projects the enthusiastic model was involved in include putting together comfort packs for Matla A Bana, which were handed over to the Gauteng Provincial Police Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit to help victims of child abuse.
Being family-orientated, Marika also wished to use the platform to denounce the scourge of gender-based violence, especially following Women’s Day.
“I want women to speak up and to understand their worth, accept that they are unique and wonderfully made. I was teased at school for having red hair and freckles. But I decided to own it, and enjoyed being different and being me. The day I made this decision I became a free young lady and today my red hair is my superpower,” she explained.
With Covid-19 evoking misery to some women’s lives, be it because of a job loss or domestic abuse, Marika advised the following, “I learnt that there is a time to mourn and wear black, but then there is a time when you have to decide to rise up, take charge and claim back your life. An unfortunate event becomes your life story and that story can encourage others. Trauma does not define you,” she said.
Finally, she encouraged the West Rand community to follow her on Instagram: @mrsmarika_opperman4
