Local beauty hopes to empower women
Kea believes these two pageants prepared her for Miss Regal SA, where she was named one of the 12 finalists in June.
When local beauty, Keamogetswe Motlhaoleng first entered the pageant scene at the mere age of about nine years, she immediately felt a sense of belonging.
Kea was born and bred in Witpoortjie where she started her schooling at Culembeeck Primary School and finished it at Alma Mater International School.
“I was in Grade 3 when I first entered a pageant at the Princess Crossing Shopping Centre. I never expected to be crowned Second Princess. Although I had to focus on my studies for the rest of my schooling career, the thought of pageantry never left my mind,” the 21-year-old fashion design student explained.
As with many young girls in a judgmental society, Kea found herself battling with low self-esteem. However, she soon found that participating in pageants helped to boost her confidence.
In an effort to take off where she left approximately 11 years ago, she re-entered the pageant scene last year by joining a modelling agency. Since then she participated in two pageants – Miss Sexy, and Face of Style and Image. Not only was she a finalist in the Miss Sexy pageant, she also took the title of Miss Personality.
Kea believes these two pageants prepared her for Miss Regal SA, where she was named one of the 12 finalists in June. While participating in the pageant, the passionate young woman hopes to drive the message of woman empowerment, among other things.
“This includes taking a stand against women and children abuse and tackling issues such as the need for sanitary towels and school shoes within our underprivileged communities,” she said.
“I don’t see pageantry as an extra-mural activity. I believe it’s a platform for learning, helping, community work and so much more. That’s why I dream of having a modelling academy of my own in the future, so I can teach other young girls what I’ve learnt, and how to reach out to a community in need.”
However, Kea still needs a lot of support in the form of votes and sponsorships from her community to make her dream a reality. She went on to say that there were still many things that had to fall in place before the pageant finale at the end of October.
If you would like to find out more about Kea’s journey and how you can help, feel free to send an email to motlhaolengkeke@gmail.com or contact 081 257 5363. You can also vote for her here: https://bit.ly/3eAgf6O.
Kea is also eager to get involved in local charity work and encourages the community to reach out to her with any such requests.
