Married women and mothers can also be Miss Universe

FOR the first time in more than 70 years, the Miss Universe competition has welcomed a contestant who is a mother.

Michelle Cohn (28) made history by becoming the first mother to participate in the long-running beauty contest.

Cohn is a model and entrepreneur, and has a son and daughter with husband Andres Matheu.

The Miss Universe Organisation made the change to its selection process last year to accept married women and mothers.

The new rule came into effect for the 72nd contest, which will be held in El Salvador in November. The Miss Universe 2023 contest will crown its new winner at the grand finale on 18 November.

In a statement the Miss Universe organisation says it strives to evolve with the times, and this decision was the natural next step.

“We all believe women should have agency over their lives and that a human’s personal decisions should not be a barrier to their success,” it says.

“A little over a year ago, I would have thought this was impossible, and today I am here looking to be the first mother to represent Guatemala to the universe.

“Here I am today, once again proving what we as women can accomplish. The universe gave me a chance, and I am taking it wholeheartedly and eagerly,” Cohn has posted on Instagram.

The news has received mixed reactions in Namibia.

Umbi Karuaihe-Upi, the chief executive officer of the Miss Namibia Organisation, says the pageantry industry has gone through tremendous changes over the years.

“The bottom line is just that they have all the qualities of winning the Miss Universe title. Not all international pageants are allowing this. The Miss Namibia Organisation will be advised by the board and its leadership on the way forward, and will make an announcement with the Miss Namibia 2024 applications,” she says.

David Mbeha is the official host of Miss Namibia 2023 and says as a society we need to remove the barriers and limitations we have placed on women.

He says women should be allowed to determine how far they want to go in life and should be accorded the tools to do so.

“The Miss Universe Organisation welcoming its first contestant who also happens to be a mother is truly a move in the right direction. I believe a woman’s capabilities and destiny should not be limited by her past, but she should rather be afforded the opportunity to improve herself through self-determination and hard work.

“The pageant is becoming more cognisant of the fact that every woman should be given a platform to realise her dreams despite various circumstances and in so doing inspire other women to carve their own path and tenaciously aim to achieve their own goals,” Mbeha says.

Chelsi Shikongo, a former Miss Namibia, creative entrepreneur and founder of the campaign ‘I Can Say No, Namibia’, says: “It is about time international beauty pageants are inclusive of all women, because we are all confidently beautiful. Regardless of our circumstances, women have always been capable, and I’m so happy it’s happening at a time that the world can really see women can do it all.”

Odile Gertze, an actress, model, dancer, radio presenter and Miss Namibia 2010, also supports the move.

“It is fantastic to open up the contest to more women. Married women and those with children are also part of the community. They also have what it takes to represent their country. I think this must be done, and it’s a great idea,” she says.

Annerie Maré, Miss World Namibia 2021, a model and international influencer, says the decision would have a big impact on contestants and would therefore affect the involved competitions and platforms.

“I believe there are different times and seasons in people’s lives. Being in a competition and having these seasons overlap with those of your fellow competitors could make it quite difficult to be judged equally, because each phase comes with different challenges and maturity levels,” she says.