Zimpapers Logo

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Reporter
THIRTY-five-year-old Tiffany Bell was on Saturday evening crowned the inaugural Miss Plus You Bulawayo during a contest that pitted 13 beauty queens.

The contest saw plus-sized women sharing their experiences about being body-shamed by society and how it has affected them. Leandre Martin and Davina Peters were crowned first and second princess respectively while Mahle Ncube was crowned Miss Personality.

The winners walked away with prize monies and received various hampers.

The event was held to celebrate “intelligent, beautiful, classy, bold plus-size ladies” who for a while, have been body-shamed by being called using derogatory names. Due to this, some have lost confidence in themselves hence this event was initiated to revive their spirits and boost their confidence.

Strutting on the ramp, the ladies paraded in casual, traditional and evening wear with event attendees cheering them on. MCs of the night, T1Nda and Shumbakadzi kept the guests entertained.

Some plus-sized women who were in the crowd said they were delighted to witness the contest as they felt appreciated. Others took the liberty to walk the ramp and it seems like next year, the pageant will be oversubscribed.

The Queen, Bell, pledged to be the voice that speaks for the plus-sized community as she wants them to be confident.

“This means so much to me because I’ve faced so many challenges as a plus-sized lady. I’ll take this brand (Miss Plus You Bulawayo) to the next level, encouraging and motivating girls and women alike, to know that being comfortable in their skin means so much more than trying to be someone else and trying to fit into the world,” said Bell.

Miss Personality, Ncube, who shared that she overcame a lot because of her outstanding character even after having faced body-shaming throughout her childhood, said she wants to use the platform to be an inspiration to plus-size women.

“Self-esteem emanates from personality and I’ll make sure that I rub off that positive personality onto every plus-size woman and girl and make sure that they embrace who they are,” said Ncube, who designed all the dresses that she paraded on the ramp. — @bonganinkunzi