After the crowning of Miss South Africa 2020 Shudufhadzo Musida Mzansi has been waiting patiently for the next reigning Mr South Africa who will uphold the same beauty, stature and demeanor as Miss SA. After the top 10 finalists of Mr SA have been announced, it is once again a big disappointment.
The hysteria all over social media started when pictures of a recent underwear photoshoot for Niku went viral. People were unimpressed by the pictures and resorted to question the standards the pageant puts in place when it comes to males, compared to Miss SA.
Many pointed out numerous differences between the two pageants. One of the criteria is age. For a Miss SA hopeful, they have to be between the ages of 20 to 28. Whereas a Mr SA hopeful can be of any age.
For men, they need to submit their CV's a few pictures and an entry fee. According to their website the criteria is as follows,
"Mr. South Africa is somebody that younger generations look up to. A man that inspires. We pride ourselves on being a fair, all inclusive brand and competition. Finding the strongest candidate and through mentorship, training and hard work, we mold our titleholders into the inspirational agents of change our country deserves to be known for.
"Humility, compassion, integrity, professionalism & realness are the key attributes that make a Mr. South Africa."
For Miss South Africa the requirements are a bit extreme. The applicant must have a drivers license, must have matric and a tertiary qualification and they must provide proof of that, not be or been married, they must also remain unmarried for the duration of their reign, an aspirant Miss SA also cannot be pregnant, have given birth to or parented a child, they also cannot be the legal guardian of any minor, the list continues.
According to a previous interview with TimesLive, the organiser and CEO JP Robberts said it is not fair to compare the two. “To a certain extent I can understand people's misconception in terms of comparing us to Miss SA. I can't speak for their judging or entry criteria because they are a separately owned entity,” he said.
Just like every year though people are never impressed by the difference in the criteria. Also the fact that it is not given the same exposure to Miss SA is worrisome to many.
