(Image: Keabetswe M Moraka)
A new princess has been crowned, and though we revel in her joy, we tend to not give a moment’s thought of what this means to her predecessor. After more than 2 years of competing in the pageant realm, and holding its reigns, surely exiting it is not as simple as a handing of a crown and a loss of a sash.
We spoke to Miss South Africa 2015 Liesl Laurie about life after her reign, and what her future holds.
2015; you were crowned Miss SA, was one of the 10 finalists for Miss Worlds, and became the Continental Queen of Africa. This was a big year for you. So how do you plan to make 2016 even greater?
I think I am just going to build on that legacy of doing great things and for me, what I did by entering Miss South Africa was to shed some light onto my community, so I want to continue doing that. I firstly want to help in my community, because I feel like when you are Miss South Africa, you are Miss South Africa, not Miss Eldorado Park. So it was very difficult for me to focus only on my community during my reign, because I had to be the ambassador for the whole country. This year, one of my main focuses will be focussing on my community, growing there and just building on myself.
Is it true that you are heading into radio?
So the idea is to go into radio. I have done quite a few of my demos, I have sent them out and have been sitting in on quite a few shows, at a few radio stations. Can’t say the names, I wish I could, but don’t want to jinx anything.
How did it feel handing over your crown to Ntandoyenkosi?
Firstly I would like to say that I took a bet with my best friend and my sister to say that Ntando would win. Only because she reminded me of myself, and not in a bigger sense, but there were moments where I’d look at her and listen to her and I’d giggle because I’m like, “you remind me of me!” [She laughs] So I have always had a soft spot for her. It felt like passing on the baton, and passing it to her was a good pass.
What are your pageant duties this year, and are you going to be pageanted-out by next year?
For Miss World Africa I will be travelling a bit in Africa, shedding some light on organisations in Africa. So as much as I would like to focus on my stuff, already I have another responsibility to help other countries in my continent. Oh my gosh! I don’t think I have ever said that out loud.
Since you have been through it all, what do you expect from the current Miss SA and what advice or tips would you like to give her?
I think one of the main advices I give to her is to always be kind and to spread love wherever you go. Mainly because I grew up during a very difficult time in my family, and getting that kindness from someone can change your life, change your day and change your outcome.
Is it true that you cannot date whilst holding the title of Miss SA? Why is it so and what are your thoughts on this rule?
It’s an unspoken rule, but it’s mainly because of split focus. If you are in a relationship whilst entering for Miss SA, a long term relationship, they don’t want you to just say, “Ok, bye!” What you need to understand [as a contestant] is that then Miss SA is your first priority, not your partner, or anything like that. That is why it is better to not be in a relationship. I wasn’t in a relationship a few months leading to Miss SA, and so I decided not to be in one for all of the time.
(UPDATE: so turns out the guy Liesl has been having coffee with is none other than rapper and TV personality Proverb! #eek)
Do you have a special someone in your life currently?
[Laughs] I don’t, I don’t!
…Not even a potential relationship?
[Giggles] Look. As I said, during my reign I didn’t want to split focus and maybe I bumped into somebody that could’ve split my focus. Let’s just say he was gentleman enough to wait it out, and we having coffee soon, so…
Are you relieved that you won’t have to wear your sash anymore, or are you going to miss it?
You know, it’s another one of those ‘bitter sweet’ moments, cause I’m so used to putting it on. I must say, it does destroy an outfit every now and then. Myself and my stylist used to joke about it and go, “Argh, the sash,” but it’s also about representing your brand as Miss SA.
After all the work you have been doing, do you plan on travelling the globe? Go on Holiday?
Yes, yes! I actually have my first small little trip coming up this weekend. I’ll just be going to Durban and then later on, halfway through the year, I’m planning to go to Zambia. My birthday is in December, and in the past 2 years I haven’t had the time to celebrate it in a big way. So I want to do something fun this year, maybe a cruise, who knows?
Any advice for ladies out there wanting to get into the beauty pageant world?
Finish school. Miss SA’s cut-off is age 27. If you go to varsity at 18, you will be done by 22, and then you enter –you grow at varsity. So finish school, and then think about the pageant.
If you have a daughter, would you encourage her to compete in pageants?
I would encourage her to do whatever she wants to do. With my little sister, who is 11 years younger than me, it’s almost like I have my little daughter back home and I always say to my family, “please don’t say to her, “why aren’t you like Liesl, Why don’t you act like Liesl?” you going to make her resent me,” because maybe she is not like me. Maybe she is not a girl who likes high heels and pretty purses. Maybe she wants to wear sneakers and a hoodie, because that is who she is.
Is there a lot of backstabbing or bitchiness in the competitions?
I can’t speak for this year or years before mine, but you will see on my social media that after I was crown we had four chills during my reign. This was after I won, and I beat these girls, but we still were friends. With my year there was a lot of encouragement, there was a lot of, “can I wear your jacket? Can I wear those silver shoes of yours?” Not to say that we didn’t bicker, there were moments, but our group was very mature.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I have a vision board, and the main thing on my vision board is a big smiley face in the middle. I can be anywhere and have whatever destiny, but where I see myself in 5 years or 10 years’ time is happy. I think it’s just to build the life I promised my grandmother; she sacrificed everything for me. So in 5 years –I know she will still be around because I asked God – I want to be able to give her that life where she can do whatever she wants to, go wherever she wants to, never worry about the price tag, or about time.