A beauty contest is normally meant to showcase the finest looking humans, at least going by what we have seen in the past. But for some reason, this has not turned out to be, in South Africa. Mr South Africa pageant released its top 20 finalist list and twitter went on fire and I may add, not for good reasons. South Africans took to twitter criticizing the male finalists with majority concluding that they looked more like criminals than the country’s finest looking men. The pageant has also been criticized for the pictures’ bad quality. It soon became a trending topic on twitter.
Here are some of the comments;
As a former Mr. South Africa; it is sad to see how the quality of this competition has drastically declined over the past few years.
As much as #MrSouthAfrica has changed my life, it’s an embarrassment to be now associated with the competition.
— Armand Du Plessis (@ArmandDuPMrSA) April 25, 2019
Today, a lot of South African men have woken up and realised that they could probably win Mr South Africa if they just entered.
— binfluencer (@bobnessmonster) April 25, 2019
They need to burn Mr South Africa to the ground and never look back.
— Wally (@walliesta) April 25, 2019
There’s something positive about this whole MR South Africa debacle.
Perhaps we should re-examine our idea of beauty and representation.
Most SA men do not look like Paul Phume or Maps Maponyane. So, someone who ‘stands as a model of wholesome qualities’ should mirror reality
— Phil Mphela (@PhilMphela) April 25, 2019
https://twitter.com/sirboring_26/status/1121284890018877440
So those are really the Mr South Africa finalists? I wonder how the ones who got eliminated look. pic.twitter.com/mcKBH7YHMF
— Chelsea Da Gama (@Chelsea_Dagama) April 25, 2019
This Mr South Africa top 20 contestant looks like he's fluent in "letha phone wena msoon" pic.twitter.com/XdFgpX6IhE
— His Excellency (@eemz_effekt) April 25, 2019
The Mr SA contestants look like the straight guys who are always complaining about getting hit on by gay guys.
— Mpumelelo Ngwenya (@_Mpumz) April 24, 2019
The Mr SA social media team subsequently removed the post announcing the 20 finalists after receiving too many negative responses.
Clearly South Africans do not agree that any of the finalists are worthy of the title.
According to its website, Mr. South Africa is a contest that looks to find an ambassador for South Africa. A man that exhibits the qualities that set him apart from the average man behind our imagery and service. This is what they look for; Excellence, Integrity, Adventure, Professionalism, Competence, Compassion. These are the characteristics that define Mr. South Africa.
Also, there are looking for a man who has superior qualities, intelligence, commitment, good looks, and a healthy, fit physique. He must process inner power and strength to be able to handle conflict situations in a professional manner. He must have a great personality and be fun loving with a balanced lifestyle.
Here’s a look at the finalists of the past year
The conversation is still trending on SA Twitter.
Although a definitive date has not yet been announced, the pageant did confirm that the winner will be crowned mid-2019.