Miss Plus Size Namibia 2019 (MPSN) was crowned on Saturday evening at the Khomas Regional Council hall in Windhoek. From 14 finalists, Zenodine Bassingthwaighte scooped the crown, while the first runner-up was Hilma Kanhu and the second runner-up, Josephine Keiseb.
MPSN is a beauty pageant established to give fuller-figured women the confidence to love themselves, no matter their shape or size. The pageant is also used as a platform to promote healthy lifestyles and spiritual well-being and this year’s event was held under the theme ‘women’s empowerment’.Bassingthwaighte, a student from Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), could not withhold her excitement after she received the crown. She said the reason she entered the competition was to evoke change and inspire others so they can see that body size does not matter.
She related that while growing up, she had trouble with her size and never felt comfortable in her own skin. She said years of insecurities kept her from trying new things and chasing her dreams.”Now that I am older, I know that confidence is what makes a person beautiful and not their size.
I have learned to love and embrace my body, and I want to share this with others,” she said.According to Margo Ruskia, one of the organisers, the pageant was a huge success and the organisers hope to host it again next year. “We are focusing on women’s empowerment, because we lack that in Namibia.
We also aim to create a platform where all women can work together and support each other. The pageant is just the start of it all; we also plan on hosting seminars where various women issues will be discussed. We are using Miss Plus Size as a platform to promote a healthy lifestyle and telling people to eat right,” said Ruskia.
