Beautiful and vibrant, Miss Jamaica, Kaci Fennell looks like she belongs on the cover of a magazine. As a Jamaican, I rooted for her during the Miss Universe pageant this past Sunday. I am and was proud when she made it to the top ten and subsequently placed in the top five. With striking features that are highlighted by a sharp pixie cut, I beamed that Kaci confidently resisted the box called long flowing "pageant hair" and chose instead to rock her pixie; the only Miss Universe contestant I've seen with short hair so far. Who knows maybe she'll start a trend.
Carolyn Desert, Miss Haiti 2014, is another Caribbean beauty who broke out of the cookie cutter "beauty queen" box. Amidst criticism about her hair, she embraced her natural hair and beauty and walked away with the crown, inspiring women around the world. In a interview with Shape Magazine, Carolyn said that she hopes to inspire women "to love themselves the way they come."
Kaci and Carolyn, thank you for embodying the beauty in diversity.
Cheers,
~Nika