BY CAROLYN JOHNSON, STAR Writer
FIRSTLY, I MUST say congratulations and thank you to Teri-Karelle Griffiths who placed among the top 15 at the Miss World Beauty Pageant held in the southern Chinese beach resort of Sanya, recently. Congratulations on your success and thank you for representing us.
Miss Iceland, Unnur Birna Vilhjalmsdottir, was crowned Miss World 2005 from more than 100 beauties. Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos, Miss Puerto Rico, placed third and won the Miss Caribbean title.
PROUD
I feel proud. Not only because of the accomplishments of our beautiful Miss Jamaica World, but because she looks a lot like me. OK, minus a few pounds, add some height and a gorgeous smile, and we could be cousins. OK, so it may take a few thousand dollars and some cosmetic surgery, but there is still hope for me.
Yet, fun and joke aside, I do believe she looks like me, and what I think is the majority of Jamaicans. It was quite refreshing to see a young lady as dark as I am, with natural hair as black and curly as mine, who lives on the flat. I felt well represented. I felt she looked Jamaican. However, it is not all about physical beauty but also her intelligence.
I am not saying I do not respect former Miss Jamaicas, or that they were not Jamaicans nor do they look like Jamaicans. I respect any and everyone who will represent the homeland in a good light. Our motto, 'Out of Many One People' implies that we are a concoction, a mixture that requires us to find a central being. While we still search for what that is, I prefer to see more of the ladies skewed to represent our African decent, which the majority of the population represents.
I know that others share this belief. A friend of mine describes Griffiths as, "down-to-earth". In the feature, My Jamaican Girl, Griffiths took the camera to places she shopped, both 'uptown' and 'downtown'. According to my friend, this says that the beauty queen is bona fide. A native from Portmore, this gives her the added appeal of being one of the masses. Straight.
BIG UP MISS JAMAICA!
Although you did not get the crown Ms. Griffiths, you are, and will always be, our queen. In the meantime, stay true to your greatest wish, "to eliminate poverty which seems to be the root of all problems such as illiteracy, crime and violence." I hope you will continue to pursue this dream, especially in Jamaica.
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